The Guardian
by Angel of Darkness Forever
Summary: When a member of the Cullen family becomes embroiled in the the wizarding world, she never expected to play such a key role in both wars. Currently being reedited. DO NOT OWN!
1. Birth of the Twins

"Renesmee, so beautiful," her crooning voice was weak, the one who had sheltered us for so long. What was wrong with her? Something bad happened and I started feeling like I was drowing.

I tried to reach towards her, but something got in my way. I reached for my sister, but she wasn't there. I couldn't understand what was going on. Everything was changing so fast

"My, God! There's another!" It was the other voice we loved. Cold hands lifted me out of the darkness. "Another girl!" he breathed. Worry, fear, love—these emotions dominated his features.

"Name her, Edward." I looked down at my mother. She reached a hand toward me, but could not reach me. Edward grabbed her hand and allowed her to touch me. So broken, so beautiful, so strong. She would live; I knew it.

There was another man in the room. His skin was dark, as was his hair. He was huge, and his scent was strange, not like Mother's and definitely not like Edward's. He was working over Mother, trying to keep her alive as best he knew how. He didn't seem to like us very much. From what I could tell, he blamed us for Mother's condition.

"Give them to me." It is the other one, the one who stood by Mother, the one who defended her decisions regarding us. I got the feeling that the only reason she did it was so she could be a mother. I could hear it in her voice every time she spoke, but it didn't matter to me because of her, we were alive.

Besides, she wanted children, and the only way for her to do so, was to protect Mother.

Edward snarled and moved as if to protect us.

"Don't worry, I'm in control."

Edward reluctantly handed me and my sister over to the blonde woman.

The woman took us to the bathroom where she proceeded to wash us very gently. She crooned to us gently the whole time in a soft voice. It was pleasant, but it wasn't Mother.

My sister, Renesmee they called her, reached over too me and brushed my face with her hand. An image flooded my head of our mother lying bloodied and broken. Worry colored her thoughts.

I knew even before we were born what she could do. Mother and I were the first to experience her talent, though Mother did not know it was her. I didn't know what was happening to our mother so I frowned.

By this time, Rosalie had dressed us in soft little clothes that covered even our feet. I needed to find out what they were, because that way I would never wear them again. They were dreadful, at least the feet were.

After wrapping us in blankets, she carried us downstairs and gave us bottles of sweet blood. I insisted on lying by myself on the cushion nearest to where I could smell a scent I knew to be Mother's. It was strong and sweet, but it made me feel safe for some reason. I was lying near where Mother had been.

Light footsteps on the stairs drew my gaze. The dark man slumped down and looked sad. What had made him so? Could I fix it? I didn't like seeing him so sad.

I had a feeling it was Mother. I knew he cared about her a great deal. Whenever something hurt her, it made him sad.

Suddenly, his dark eyes fixated on Renesmee. His face became cold, calculating. It frightened me.

But before I could make any sound to warn Rosalie, his expression changed. It became soft, adoring. It was almost comical when compared to the emotions that were playing across his face moments ago.

What had happened? I looked over at my sister and then back at the dark man. She was gazing at him with her big, brown eyes. A gentle smile flitted across his features.

He turned suddenly, his gaze up the stairs. I heard it too. A rapidly beating heart, a changing heart. Mother was changing, I knew that much, but into what exactly? Was she becoming like our father?

I didn't have time to think about that because the man turned back to my sister and approached her slowly. "May I hold her?" he seemed hesitant. His huge hands were held slightly in front of him, almost begging.

Renesmee glanced down at me as if asking if it was okay. I smiled.

"Don't you dare come any closer, dog!" Rosalie snarled and moved between the dark man and us.

Renesmee patted Rosalie's cheek and smiled. I knew she was showing her something: probably that she wanted to go to the dark man.

She knew he had wanted to kill her. I knew she had seen his look of murderous rage that had been directed at her. But she didn't care. She knew he needed her, and that for some strange reason, she needed him too.

"You hurt her, Jacob Black, and I'll kill you." Rosalie scooped me up off the sofa, and I knew she would not put me down even if I begged her to, so I let her hold me. She needed me. I didn't know why, but she did.

"What's the other girl's name?" Jacob asked as he cuddled Renesmee close to his chest.

"I don't know. Bella asked Edward to name her. Now that Bella's changing, I think it would be okay to take them up and find out what it is," Rosalie stood up. As she passed Jacob, her expression became almost devious. She was up to something. I think she guessed then what had happened between my sister and Jacob. Why wouldn't anyone tell me what was happening? I wanted to know too.

"Edward? There are two little girls anxious to meet their daddy. And one of them needs a name."

I craned around to see Edward better. He reached out towards me. "Elizabeth. Her name is Elizabeth Marie." He studied me for a moment, "She has my mother's eyes." He held out his free hand for Renesmee.

As he held us both, he hummed a beautiful song that made me close my eyes and sleep. I could vaguely hear Daddy say softly, "I'll deal with you later, Jacob." I guessed it had something to do with Jacob's unique relationship with Renesmee. I didn't worry too much; Renesmee wouldn't let Jacob get hurt. I knew that he was hers.

When I woke up, I was in a strange woman's arms. I studied her for a few minutes and decided that I liked her. Her soft, brown hair framed her gentle face.

I smiled at her and that seemed to make her day.

"She has Edward's eyes from when he was human," a man spoke. It was only then that I realized that a blond haired man had his arms around the woman.

"Hello, Elizabeth, I'm Esme, and this is Carlisle." Esme gestured to the man. "Over there is Alice and Jasper, and sitting on the couch is Emmett. I think you've already met Rosalie." She introduced me to everyone. I glanced around. Mother and Daddy weren't there. I looked at Esme and cocked my head.

"I think she wants to know where Edward and Bella are," Jasper said, "same as Renesmee."

I turned to him and smiled.

"You're mama's sleeping, and your daddy is staying with her," Esme said.

Worry spiked through me as I remembered Mother as badly hurt as she was.

"It'll be okay. Edward is taking good care of her. She'll be just fine." Jasper tried to calm me, but I could hear the worry in his voice. There was something I doubted he was going to tell me. I had a feeling I would find out soon enough.

I reached for Jasper. He seemed to be the only one who could understand me. My sister had her gift, so everyone could understand her. Jasper seemed to be the only one who could understand me.

"Why does she want me?" he seemed surprised.

"Because you're the only one who seems to be able to know what she wants," Esme said as she handed me to him.

"Don't worry, when she's thirsty Rose, Esme, or I can feed her," Alice piped from his elbow. She seemed to find it amusing that I wanted her scarred husband to hold me.

He nodded warily and took me from Esme's arms.

I remained with him for the majority of the day. Whenever I would see something I didn't understand, I would turn to Jasper, and he would explain it.

He was fast becoming my favorite of the Cullens.

He didn't make weird faces at me and didn't expect me to pose for any pictures like the others seemed to think I had to. If that's the way babies were supposed to behave, then I wanted this phase of my life over with just as soon as possible. It irritated me. They should make weird faces at each other and see how they like it. They would probably be offended.

"I think Elizabeth is a lot like Edward." Jasper seemed very amused as he sensed my irritation at Emmett's 'baby chatter.'

Alice came downstairs with an armload of clothes. Okay, one set, these were a little tight. She seemed insistent upon trying every piece on me. After the third set of clothes, I scowled at her and pointed to Ren.

"I think she wants you to stop and go play with Nessie." Jasper stopped Alice from getting me undressed and redressed for the fourth time.

"But I want to play dress up with her. There's the cutest little dress that will look amazing with her eyes. Please?" she made puppy dog face at Jasper.

I turned to scowl at him then Alice.

"Okay, fine, I'll go play with Nessie." She gave in and walked over to where Jacob was seated with her.

Poor Jacob. He didn't stand much of a chance. Ren loved playing dress up, and it seemed he would to anything to please her. I wondered if _he_ would play dress up if she asked him too. I had the feeling he would. That would be something I had to see. This huge man playing dress up just to please a little girl. Most parents, no matter how doting, wouldn't do such a thing, but Jacob would, and that's what made the situation humorously sweet.

A few hours later, I became thirsty, so Alice took me from Jasper and Rosalie went to the kitchen to prepare bottles for me and Renesmee, or Nessie as she was now called, though I called her Ren.

Rosalie was taking her sweet old time because she wanted to torture Jacob. Why she thought Jacob would be tortured simply because Ren was biting him was beyond me. I didn't like waiting one bit, so I reached out my hand and suddenly the bottle was in my grasp

My family stared at me in amazement. I stared back and continued to suck on my bottle.

There were questions and sounds of amazement from all around me.

Carlisle studied me for a long moment. "I do believe that Elizabeth is gifted. If I'm not mistaken, she is more so than all of us put together."

"How's that?" Alice asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm going to wait a little while to make sure. But I think I know why." There was an almost calculating expression on his face. He seemed to be pondering something in great detail. I think he knew right then what I was. He just needed to make sure, because people like me are even rarer than people like Nessie.

Where was she at the moment? I glanced around the room and found her nestled in Jacob's arms. Well, from the looks of things, she wasn't letting him go any time soon. He had taken her from me, but I wasn't jealous. The expression on his face before he looked into her eyes cured me of any future envy. He needed her. She made him feel better, and he was no longer in pain. I had a feeling that if they tried to take her away from him, it would hurt her just as much as it would him.

Besides, my sister would always be there. We could get to know each other better outside of Mother. We had plenty of time for that later.

Little did I know exactly how much later it would be. Events were being set in motion that took me from my family for a many years.


	2. The Dark Lord

For the first few months of our lives, things went very well, though I could sense an underlying hint of worry from all of the adults. There was so much about us they didn't know, so much was only conjecture. I would catch them in Carlisle's office, reading books or searching the internet for some obscure references to us. It seemed, aside from Kaure, that no one knew of the existence of hybrids. They seemed to believe that Ren and I would die after only a few short years. They were forgetting that our father was immortal, and that made us half-immortal, so there was a very good chance that, at some point, we would stop aging.

In fact, I was growing at a slower rate than Ren was, so I would probably end up shorter than she would.

Jasper was my favorite of the Cullens. He told me interesting stories and taught me to play chess and how to hide during his little war games with me. That, and I was attracted to the underlying sense of danger that emanated from him, more so than my other vampire relatives.

"See? When you captured my queen, that left your king open for attack."

"The queen sacrifice," I said.

"Exactly."

"So, if I have to sacrifice my queen to win the game, I should."

Jasper nodded, clearly pleased with how well I'd picked up the game.

Other than Jasper, Daddy was my favorite member of the family. His music was so beautiful it made me want to be able to play it too.

"Daddy, teach me to play," I said as I scrambled onto the seat next to him.

He looked at me for a moment before pulling me into his lap. "Here. You place your hands on the keys like this." Daddy guided my fingers to the correct keys, placing his own hands over mine and pressing the keys along with me.

Mama let me read and would talk to me. She told me stories about how her life was when she was human, about how she and Daddy met, about anything and everything she could think of that I might be interested it.

Because Ren, as I called Renesmee, spent all her time with Jake, Mama would hold me as often as she could.

I think she wanted us to stay young for as long as we could, which wasn't going to be very long.

Things were going just fine until Alice dropped a vase of flowers. Mama, Ren, and Jake had gone hunting, and they had seen Irina. Irina took off after seeing them, and Edward and Carlisle couldn't find any trace of her anywhere.

Irina had gone to the Volturi and claimed that we were Immortal Children.

According to Alice, the Volturi were coming. All of them. I had a feeling they wanted to make examples of us in such a way they hadn't been able to do for centuries. I think they were just bored and looking for an excuse to flex their muscles, so to speak.

Apparently, for all his ability, Aro didn't know Carlisle very well. If he did, he would have known that Carlisle would never break the law. Especially one that had destroyed the lives of some of his closest friends: the Denali sisters.

Alice took off, taking Jasper with her. She told them to gather all of their friends they could find. They needed a large group to stop the Volturi long enough to make them listen to reason.

I didn't tell anyone, but I knew where Alice and Jasper were going. Among my many talents, I discovered I could see bits of the future. I could also block out my father so he could not see what I knew. They were going to find someone like my sister and me, someone who could prove to the Volturi that we were not dangerous.

The Denali coven was the first to arrive. After convincing them that Nessie and I were not in fact dangerous, they became fast friends with us. I was especially fascinated with Eleazar because he had worked with the Volturi and told many stories of their exploits, much to my father's displeasure.

After all of our friends arrived, two more strangers showed up, Stephan and Vladimir. I hated them from the very beginning. Nessie was fascinated with them and their strange skin. But I felt something from them made me shy away from them.

They, however, seemed interested in me. They watched in awe as I used my abilities to lift things, to make things do whatever I wanted, and to transform anything—including myself. They seemed most interested in my ability to speak to snakes.

There was a dark aura around them, and it seemed that only I could sense it.

"Daddy, I don't like them. They're scary," I said.

"Lizzie, we need as many people as we can get. Simply because we may not like the Romanians is no reason to send them away."

I would go hunting as much as possible, alone if necessary, to get away from them.

One such afternoon, I had cornered a small mountain deer. I slunk around the animal, preparing to strike, when I became aware that I wasn't alone. Just as I was about to take it down, strong hands grabbed me.

"Come with us," Stephan snarled.

"The Dark Lord is very interested in you," Vladimir added.

"Well, I'm not interested in him. He can bite me for all I care." I struggled, but in vain. They were stronger than I was, and I had no idea how to use my powers against them.

"Is this the girl?" a high-pitched voiced hissed.

"Yes, my lord," they intoned. Wait, vampires who were thousands of years old were bowing to a human, and an ugly one at that?

They wanted him to help them overthrow the Volturi, I could feel it. And they would pick any allies that could make that happen.

"But my lord, she is just a child!" a young man protested. He sounded horrified that he would even consider enlisting me in whatever cause he was fighting for. "Can't we wait until she's a little older at least?"

I looked for the first time at this Dark Lord and the young man with him. The former had red slits for eyes and a definite snake-like appearance, especially his nose.

The second had a very handsome, aristocratic face with long, pale blond hair and gray eyes. I looked directly into them and I could see his unwillingness to serve the mutilated man they called "lord." The snake man was holding something over him, but the young man looked away before I could see what it was.

"You have the visage even a mother would have a hard time loving," I sneered at him. I couldn't let him see how terrified I was. Inwardly, I was shaking and trying to find a way out of this mess.

"Hold out her left arm," the Dark Lord commanded in his snake like, irritating voice, completely ignoring me.

"Do you think it wise to do that here?" the blond man questioned, "What if someone sees?"

"Don't worry; we'll be gone before they can do anything." The Dark Lord seemed too confident in his own ability. I hoped and prayed that that would be his downfall. That it would cause him to make stupid mistakes.

Vladimir and Stephan forced me to hold out my left arm.

I tried to bite them, but they simply held my head.

Once I was secured, the Dark Lord pressed his wand to my forearm and began to speak in the language of the snakes. A skull with a snake coming out of its mouth burned its way into my skin.

"Please! Make it stop! It burns!" I screamed in pain, but no one did anything about it.

The blond man winced, but could do nothing about my pleas for mercy.

I fell to the ground, holding my arm in pain.

The blond man flexed his hands as if to reach toward me, but stopped. Apparently the Dark Lord would curse or kill him if he showed me mercy. No, not him, someone close to him, someone he lovd.

"Lucius, prepare a port key."

Before that could be done, however, a ripping snarl reverberated through the trees. I turned towards the sound. It was Jacob in wolf form, his teeth bared.

Stephan and Vladimir ran, and the Dark Lord and Lucius disappeared into thin air.

As soon as they were gone, Jake jogged into the underbrush to phase. He was buckling his shorts as he ran toward me after changing into human form.

"Don't tell Mama and Daddy," I whimpered holding my arm.

"Why not? They need to know." He cradled me against his chest and smoothed my hair away from my face.

I shook my head, "'Cause, they don't need any more problems than they have now. They also need as many people as they can get to help them fight, and Daddy can't go off chasing them." Twisting out of his arms, I looked at him squarely in the eye. "Promise me, Jacob."

"I promise, I won't tell, not yet."

Then I tried something I had never attempted to do on someone other than an animal: I got into his head. "You can't think about it when Daddy's around. If you do, he won't be able to read your mind. You won't be able to tell anyone, not even your pack, about it until I let you. I'm sorry, Jake, but I need to go. No one can know where I am. If those men can disappear like they did, I can too. Grandpa Carlisle has an estate in England, given to him by a man with no children after Grandpa saved his life. I'll go there. After this Dark Lord is dead, you may come there, but not before."

I picked up a twig of the ground and transfigured it into a bracelet. "When this falls off, you may go to Wainwright Manor, but not before."

He nodded miserably.

"Good-bye, Jake. Tell everyone I love them and I have my own reasons for leaving. If they're worried about me, tell them I'll be just fine."

Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he pulled me into one last hug "Bye, Lizzie. We'll miss you so much."

"I'll miss you more. You all have each other. I will have no one."

Blinded by tears, I focused on Wainwright Manor and felt myself being sucked into a tube.

I was deposited in front of the largest house I had ever seen. In the darkness, it seemed almost sinister, but I knew I had to go in. I had nowhere else to go.

"Who's there?" a squeaky voice asked as the door shut behind me.

Clearing my throat, I spoke in a clear a voice as I could manage, "Elizabeth Cullen. Lord Wainwright willed this place to Carlisle Cullen and Carlisle changed my father Edward Mason. Edward took the last name of Cullen after he joined Carlisle's family."

"Well, then welcome home, milady." A creature not much taller than me with huge ears and equally large eyes bowed before me and opened the door for me. "I am Dinky, ma'am. Dinky the house elf. My family has served Wainwright Manor for as long as we know. Many years we has been waiting for a master to come and now you has."

"Well, thank you. I've never had a house elf before."

"Now you does, Mistress." The little elf bobbed with excitement.

"I'm afraid I don't know very much about this world or creatures like yourself, so you are going to have to teach me. All I knew was that this place belong to a man Carlisle saved and that this man had no children that I know of."

Dinky seemed more than happy to oblige and soon I knew all the tiny creature could tell me about this world and showed me the library where there were floor to ceiling of books.

"This will shows Mistress all she needs to know about the wizarding world."

"Thank you. Do you mind showing me to a bedroom? I'm very tired." After a moment, I spoke again, "You wouldn't happen to have some blood on hand would you?"

"Yes, Dinky will have Hoppy gives you the blood while Dinky shows you to your room." another elf, slightly larger than Dinky appeared and Dinky told the little creature what I wanted.

As I followed the elf down the hall, I asked, "How come you had blood on hand?"

"Well you see miss. We house elves knew what Master Cullen was and that he drank from animals, so we keeps a supply of blood on hand in case he or a member of his family ever came back here."

Dinky led me to the grandest bedroom I had ever seen and after making sure that I was safely settled let me rest for the night, which turned out to be the saddest loneliest night of my life.

I tossed and turned and cried. I cried for the life I lost. I cried because I didn't know when I would see my family again outside of my visions. The pain was almost enough to make me go straight home. But I thought of what would happen if the Dark Lord found my family. There would be a fight and he might kill someone I loved.

I swore right then and there to make him pay. He would pay for stealing my life. He would pay for every person he had killed. He would pay for making people follow him that didn't want to follow. For every crime he had committed against humanity, including himself, the snake faced man would pay.


	3. Wainright Manor

I woke up the next morning to a small hand patting my arm and a squeaky voice saying, "Mistress needs to wakes up now."

I groaned and sat up. "What time is it?" I brushed my long curls out of my face as I rubbed my eyes.

"Eight o'clock, Mistress."

"My name's Elizabeth. I don't want to be called 'mistress." I fell back against the pillow and, closing my eyes, focused on my family to see them in the present time.

It was easier than trying to see the future so it didn't take very long for me to connect to their thread.

"But why did she leave?" Ren whimpered. She was curled up in Jake's arms, crying. She looked so tiny in the arms of the seven foot tall shapeshifter.

Jake struggled against my spell, but could get around it, "I can't tell you. She made me promise not to tell."

"Will she come back?" Ren pressed.

"I don't know, Nessie. I honestly don't know."

Daddy had his arms around Mama who was dry sobbing against his chest.

A look around told me that the rest of my family seemed as deeply affected by my decision to leave.

It almost made me go back until I remembered the Dark Lord. I couldn't go back. Not with that megalomaniac on the loose. He would hurt them just like he hurt me. I couldn't allow that.

I continued to watch.

"Vladimir and Stephan seemed to have vanished," Kate of the Denali coven was saying. "We followed their trail clear to the coast, but they took off into the water. They could be anywhere now."

"Does this have something to do with Lizzie leaving?" Daddy leaned forward.

"Not in the way you think," Jake mumbled. "They were after her ability. When it became obvious that we weren't going to fight the Volturi if we could avoid it, they tried to take her with them. Because they thought that she would tell on them, they left. And Lizzie was afraid that they would bring someone who could make her go with them." He stopped as his words started coming out strangled sounding.

Jake was telling the truth as much as he could. It mollified my family to an extent.

"After this is all over, we are going to start looking for her." Daddy turned to Jake, "Any ideas where she may have gone, Jake?"

Jake said nothing in response.

I couldn't watch anymore. It hurt me to see my family in so much pain. I wanted so badly to communicate with them, but any contact was dangerous.

I kept telling myself that it was for the best, however, and that's all that kept me from leaving.

"Elizabeth is sad. Why?" a squeaky voice brought me back from my melancholy thoughts.

"I miss my family."

"Why can't Elizabeth bring her family to Wainwright?"

"Because I'll be bringing more trouble on them if I do that." I lifted the sleeve of my left arm.

Dinky gasped and put his hands over his mouth.

"I was forcibly branded with this hideous symbol, and I won't have them getting mixed up in this mess."

The little elf nodded solemnly.

"No one is to try to contact my family until I say so. Is that understood? If a Jacob Black is to call, allow him in, but no one else. If asked, you are to say that no Cullen lives here. Technically, that would not be lying since I will be going by my father's human last name of Masen. Tell that to all the elves, and say that it's my orders."

"Yes, ma'am." The little elf bobbed and disappeared.

Slowly, I got out of bed, and looking around the opulent room, I decided to do a little exploring. One door revealed a huge bathroom, complete with a claw foot tub and shower. Another revealed a closet with more clothes than even Alice owned.

That room seemed the most promising, so I walked in. There was a mixture of robes and modern day clothes. I tried on some of the clothes, and they fit perfectly.

"Is Elizabeth pleased with her wardrobe?" I turned to find Dinky at my elbow.

"Very."

"Good. These clothes will change to fit you as you continue to grow. If you want something different, sends one of us elves to fetch a tailor, and then we can spell them to fit you."

"Thank you, Dinky, that would be very kind of you."

"It is Elizabeth who is kind to us poor elves. Would Elizabeth like any breakfast?"

"Yes, some blood, I don't care which kind, along with some toast and honey."

The elf bowed and Disapperated with a crack.

I followed my nose and found myself in a breakfast room with a round oak table and ten chairs along each side. A bay window opened to the most beautiful garden I had ever seen. At the head of the table was my breakfast as I had requested.

After I ate, I decided to check out the library. It wouldn't hurt to know as much as I possibly could about this world that I had found myself so unceremoniously thrust into.

As I glided along the halls, I studied the moving portraits. They were talking to each other about the young mistress who had finally graced the Manor with her presence. As soon as they saw me, they started to cheer.

"Excuse me." I stopped at a portrait of a young man with dark hair and blue eyes.

"How may I help you?"

"Why is everyone so excited about my being here? I'm not a Wainwright. I'm not even human."

"No matter, you are a resident of these halls, and we haven't seen one, aside from the elves, in three hundred years."

"Oh." I walked on and opened the ornately carved doors to the library. One book in particular caught my eye, a book without a title.

I opened it up and found it to be about Veelas. Their beauty reminded me of vampires, but their other traits were far from the world I knew: fangs, wing, claws, so different from the species I knew

It was well into the afternoon by the time I finished reading the thick volume. Some of the pages stuck together, and when I asked why, a portrait informed me that it was because it contained content too mature for me.

The portrait also went on to inform me that all the books were spelled like that. If one of them contained material too grown-up for innocent eyes, then those pages would stick as had the book I was reading.

I placed the book back where I had found it, resolving to finish it when I was old enough to read what it deemed me too young to know.

I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the place. There was a magnificent orchard set behind some of the most beautiful riding stables I had ever seen. I doubted I would ever own a horse, because the horse would see me for what I was—a predator—and run away. The gardens had flowers I had never before seen, and I was informed by the elf, Tippy, that tended them that these flowers all contained magical properties.

That evening I sat down with the head elf, Noddle, who had undertaken the task of steward in an absence of a master, and went over the books.

The estate was very well endowed with wineries—both muggle and magical—several farms, vineyards, and many other investments. I didn't quite understand it all, but I knew I would be well provided for.

I was also informed that a squib had been hired for all the muggle dealings. I was then handed the keys to the Gringotts accounts. Noddle informed me that he alone had the other copies, saying that Carlisle entrusted his father with their safekeeping.


	4. Regulus Black

Three years passed in this way and I looked about thirteen. For the most part, I kept myself cloistered in the Manor with only the elves and portraits for company.

Sometimes I wondered whatever became of the unwilling servant of the Dark Lord I had met. He reminded me of the Veelas I read about. Was he one? Had the Dark Lord threatened his mate? His scent wasn't entirely human, so I figured I could very well be right.

One night my left arm burned so badly it reminded me of when I had first been branded.

"Why?" I screamed as Hoppy and Dinky both tried to soothe the pain.

"The Dark Lord is calling. He is expecting Elizabeth to go to him."

If he thought I would respond to his summons, he was sorely mistaken. Vampires are above humans. And he was human, sort of. He had chosen to mutilate himself to the point he was unrecognizable. Because of that and the other things he had done, I viewed him as less than human.

I chose to ignore it. I would not be forced into servitude. He could call all he wanted, but I could not bow to a mad man, or pledge loyalty to a murderer. If he chose to come looking for me, well good luck with that.

Noddle informed me that even if the Dark Lord chose to attack Wainwright, there was no way he could get in. The entire estate was Unplottable and covered with so many wards it would take a pantheon of gods to get in. Also according to him, I could have all the underage wizards in the world use as much magic as they wanted too, and no one would ever know anything was going on.

A few nights later, as I sat in the library, reading, I got an image of a young man, no older than eighteen, and a house elf entering a cave set in the cliff near the sea.

He was doing something to try to destroy the Dark Lord. After he drank a potion of some sort that nearly killed him, he disturbed the water of the lake where he was trying to get a drink.

There was a flurry of movement and the young man was dragged under the water by reanimated corpses. He never resurfaced. I couldn't let him die, so I decided I would follow him. One less to die because of the Dark Lord.

Over the next several days, I kept a close watch on one Regulus Black. On the night he would die, I followed him to the cave by the sea. I slipped in after him as he cut his hand and watched silently as he drank the potion that made him cry out for his brother. The house elf Disapparated on his orders and I dove under the water.

(RegPov)

I was dying. Perhaps this was justice. I had refused to listen to my brother and I was now paying the price.

Maybe one day someone would find out the truth about what I'd done.

The creatures' arms tightened around me and I felt myself begin to lose consciousness. This was it. I was dying.

The last thought I had before the darkness closed in was _Sirius, I'm sorry, I should have listened to you._

(ElPov)

The Inferi scattered as I made my approach.

Regulus was nearly dead by the time I reached him. His body suspended lifelessly in the water.

I dragged him to the surface and onto the little island in the middle of the lake. The Inferi crawled around the base, trying to get a clear shot at Regulus.

Their dead faces broke my heart. How many innocent people had the Dark Lord killed to have this many at his disposal?

Regulus lay on the rock coughing up water and shaking from the lack of oxygen. Water mixed with the blood as it dripped down his face. His dark hair clung to his pale face. His gray eyes opened and he looked around slowly.

(RegPov)

What? I thought I was dying and here I was, back on the island. I looked up and met a pair of emerald green eyes. Wet, black hair hung in her eyes. She was stunning, but something about her invoked a fear in me that I couldn't understand.

(ElPov)

"What—may I ask in the name of all that is good and holy— were you thinking trying to get yourself killed like that? Are you suicidal? Because if you are, believe me, there are easier ways to go!"

"Why aren't they attacking you?" he shuddered at the sight of the Inferi circling us, like coyotes, waiting for me to leave Regulus alone so they could kill him. Every move I made, they backed away from me.

"Because most creatures fear vampires. And besides, there's not much in the way of magic that can affect us."

"You're a vampire?" he seemed almost as afraid of me as he was of the Inferi.

"Half."

The young man stared at me for a long moment, "How did you know I was going to be here this evening?"

"I've been watching you."

"For how long?"

"Ever since I saw that you were going to die."

""Saw"? What do you mean?"

"I can see the future. And well, I couldn't allow the Dark Lord to claim another victim." I glanced around at the Inferi circling us, "Now if you don't mind, I'd rather get away from here as soon as possible. Even though they won't kill me, they still creep me out. The farther away the better."

He followed my line of sight, "I couldn't agree more." A shudder passed through his frame.

I grabbed him arm and we Apparated to the front door of Wainwright Manor.

He gazed, awestruck at the building.

"What?"

"This! This is Wainwright Manor! People said it was only a legend. But here I am standing at the entrance!"

"Well, come on in. When this is all over, you can tell everyone how you stayed here."

"My brother and his friends are going to be so jealous when they find out! I'm going to write to them and tell them."

"You _can't_! You're supposed to be dead, remember? If it hadn't been for me, you would be. Now, Dinky will show you to your rooms. If you need something to eat or drink, ask Hoppy. She takes care of the kitchen."

"Might as well make myself comfortable while we're here, because I have a feeling we're going to be in it for the long haul."

"You have got that right, Regulus Black; you most definitely have got that right."

It was at breakfast the next morning, when Regulus asked, "So how did Wainwright come to be in your possession?"

(RegPov)

"Carlisle Cullen is a vampire. Well, he saved Lord Wainwright from a werewolf attack. After Wainwright died, it was discovered that the estate had been willed to Carlisle. Carlisle changed my father, Edward Mason the Second in 1918. Edward took the name Cullen. I was born four years ago to Edward and Isabella Cullen. I came to live here after the Dark Lord forced his brand on me. I didn't want to bring my troubles on my family. They already had enough on their plates without worrying about me and the wizarding world." She knew Carlisle Cullen! The most famous vampire in the wizarding world! She was a part of his family!

"You're Elizabeth Cullen?" Shock coursed through me. This was the girl that the Dark Lord had tried recruiting! She looked too old to be that girl. It had been what, three years? This girl looked to be about thirteen, not four.

"I go by Elizabeth Mason now."

"So, will he find us?"

"The Dark Lord?"

"Yes."

(ElPov)

"According to my house elves it would take every wand in the world simply to weaken the first set of wards. Then, there are wards so ancient that the knowledge of how to break or even cast them has been forgotten."

"Just what we need. Something he can't break through. Not for a while, anyway." He visibly relaxed under the knowledge that he was safe from the Dark Lord's wrath for the time being.

"If you don't mind my asking, what made you want to join him?"

He stared at the table for a long time, tracing patterns that weren't there. "I thought he was fighting for pureblood supremacy. That he would return the wizard to his rightful place. I later learned that all he wanted was power. And in the wizarding world, the majority of the power lies with the purebloods. So, if he gets the purebloods, he has power. By the time we found out differently, it was too late and we were bound to a lifetime of servitude." He lifted his gaze to mine for a moment then stared at the wall. "If there is one decision I could take back, it would be to never have taken the Mark, to have seen him for what he was before it was too late."

This young man, no older than eighteen, had seen a lifetime of suffering, and would live his life in regret over the choices he made. Poor boy. Even a Timeturner wouldn't be the answer to his problems.

"Looks like we're both two kids who got into more trouble than they could handle," I mumbled.

"Alone, yes. But together, we can fight him that much better." Regulus's eyes sparked with fire. "I have information that you may not have and you have skill I know I don't have."

"We'll take this ugly thing down and make him pay."

Our eyes met and we grinned wickedly at each other. We would destroy the Dark Lord one piece at a time. There would be those we couldn't save, but we would do our best to save as many as we possibly could. The Dark Lord was going to die, one way or another.


	5. Hermione

**A/N This chapter contains extreme gore. From here on out, the story will have earned its rating. There will be rape, torture, violence, bloodshed in general, and possible smut.**

Another year or so passed by us fairly quietly. Well it did for Regulus. He spent his time in his opulent prison without much complaint. He knew what awaited him if he stepped outside the wards: possible death on all sides.

_The Daily Prophet_ ran the most ridiculous story of Regulus's death. There was speculation all around as what happened. People made the most ludicrous stories as to how and why he died. There was no body, so they could talk all they want.

Some swore that they had seen him take on every Auror in the Department down Knockturn Alley. Others claimed that he had dueled the Dark Lord himself—that one wasn't far off in a way, but no less ridiculous.

For me, everything was different. My body was changing more rapidly than ever, speeding up as it sensed the end of my growth was near. I was now around fifteen or so physically.

When I was in a bad mood due to raging hormones—which was pretty much all the time lately—Regulus stayed out of my way.

People may find it odd that even as I grew up, I was never particularly attracted to Regulus, though he was quite handsome. To me, he was an uncle and as I grew older, a brother, but nothing more.

Now that I was older, I was determined to do what I could do stop the Dark Lord and his minions. Regulus didn't much care for the idea, but knew that the Order of the Phoenix needed some sort of hint that there were others besides them who opposed the Dark Lord.

After I was sure Regulus would not come looking for me for the rest of the evening, I slipped outside.

I had figured out that I could use my mark to locate Death Eaters, which was convenient, considering what I had in mind.

I Apparated a little ways away from where a few Death Eaters were planning to torture and kill a muggleborn and his half-blood wife. Very carefully, I reached into their minds and found that they were all so entrenched in the Dark Lord's ideals that there was no salvation for them.

I pulled a sword made in the style of the samurai I'd had commissioned by goblins and infused with basilisk venom—the beast had been promptly destroyed of course—out of its sheath on my back. I would not taint myself by drinking their blood, but that didn't mean that blood would not be spilled.

After I'd set up Anti-Disapparation wards, I removed my cloak and stepped out of the shadows, "Did you honestly think I'd let you start the party without me?"

They turned to face me. I could feel their appraising eyes on me behind their masks.

"Who are you?"

"Elizabeth Cullen." There were mutters of recognition at my revelation. So someone, the Dark Lord most likely, had talked about me. Good, so they knew who they were dealing with. This would make it more interesting.

"Why did you not answer our master's call? He believed you to have been dead, killed by that wolf." A man spoke.

"Because, I have no master and answer to no one." With that I revealed the blade I had hidden along my leg. "And after tonight, neither will you." I raised the blade above my head and with a quick flick of my wrist, the first head fell to the ground. Blood gushed from the body and the masked face rolled away. The thick, crimson liquid sprayed all over me. I would clean up after I had finished. For now the blood added to my macabre persona.

The others stared in shock then scrambled to kill me. I laughed mirthlessly as Killing Curse after Killing Curse was shot my way. Each jet of green light hit me, but did nothing. It was then that they realized there was no way they could win against me.

Heads parted company with their bodies and blood flowed from fallen. I then proceeded to hack their bodies apart and strew the pieces around the area. I made sure that their Dark Marks were plainly visible on their severed arms.

After all of the Death Eaters had been dealt with, I fashioned long polls and stuck the severed heads on them. On a wooden plank, I wrote _Mirror, mirror on the wall, whose head will be the next to fall?—E.C. _in the blood of the fallen.

I made sure to put Wards up so no muggle would happen across my grisly handiwork. After I was finished, I surveyed the scene for a moment, then casting a _Scorgify,_ I walked away.

Yes, it was a little extreme, but now, my anger was assuaged a bit. Though it had not been taken out on the actual object of my rage, those Death Eaters made a nice substitute.

As I passed through the outskirts of London, I caught the scent of a werewolf. Not a shapeshifter, but an honest to goodness Child of the Moon. The scent was also mingled with the sweetness of human blood and adrenaline.

I glanced up at the sky. The fingernail moon shone back at me.

There was only one wolf that I knew of who would be out like this: Fenrir Grayback. He made me sick, feasting on human flesh when he didn't even have the excuse of the full moon.

Yes, I did disgusting things to people, but they had committed crimes. The people Fenrir killed were almost always innocent.

I followed the scent and found him snout deep in blood. Blood was streaming down his animalistic face. It was small wonder that Fenrir pledged loyalty to the Dark Lord, they were both animals and not much else.

I drew my black cloak around me until I blended in with the shadows. Even to his eyes, I would look like a part of the darkness.

After a few minutes, he began searching for something, or someone. There was someone else there, and he wanted to kill them.

"Disgusting little ingrate," I sneered from behind him. He revolted me, but I couldn't let him see any weakness on my part.

He turned to face me, blood smeared across his face. "You would challenge me, human?"

"You think I'm human?" I scoffed. "You'd better check your nose again."

He stared at me for a moment, puzzling over exactly what I was. I was glad I was so rare. Not many came across people like me in their short lives.

I pulled out my sword. "You'd better run before I run you through."

He caught sight of the blade and ran as fast as he could. During a full moon he could have taken me on and possibly won, even with my magic, because I was so inexperienced, but with the moon against him, he took off.

As soon as he was gone, I began to search the house for any survivors. The man and woman were dead, but from the pictures I could see that they had a daughter. Hopefully, I wasn't too late to save her.

A soft cry and a heartbeat led me to a room near the back of the house. There, standing in a wrought iron crib, was a little girl with brown curls and milk chocolate eyes, like my mother and my sister. She reached for me with the most heartbreaking expression on her face. Huge tears were rolling down her face and her lower lip was trembling.

I picked her up and searched around for any identifying papers. After a few seconds, I found them. They were located in a safe underneath her parents' bed.

Hermione Jean Granger was the little girl's name, and she'd been adopted in a closed adoption with the birthparents paying for any schooling the child might receive outside the public school system once she turned eleven. Interesting.

There were no godparents listed. Nor was any will to be found.

Muggles could not find the bodies the way they were, so I did what I had to do. It wouldn't be right to kill the little girl or turn her over to the authorities with Grayback possibly on the hunt for her, so I took a bag and placed a Bottomless charm on it and began going through the house looking for anything the little girl might like to have. I _Geminied_ copies of everything I found and left the copies where the originals were.

As soon as I was done, I Levitated the corpses up the stairs to their bed. Their bodies were healed of every injury and smoke damage added to their lungs. After I had conjured a believable corpse of a little girl about one year old in the crib, I started the fire.

As I watched the house burn, I studied the little girl in my arms. She had fallen asleep against my chest with her thumb in her mouth.

I just hoped and prayed she would be a witch. Because if she wasn't one, I knew I'd be in a world of trouble, not only from Regulus, but from the Volturi also. Once I was sure that the house was sufficiently burning, I Apparated away.

"Dinky!" I called as soon as I entered the foyer.

"Yes miss, what can Dinky do for Elizabeth?" The tiny elf bobbed as he adjusted his white tunic.

"I need you to get a nursery ready for a little girl about a year old. Think you can do that for me?"

Dinky was more than happy to oblige. A few things were transfigured, and she was ready to be placed in her new bed. The rest could be purchased at a later time if need be.

Needless to say, Regulus was less than amused by my bringing home a child.

"What were you thinking?" he hissed as he stared at Hermione with a hard expression on his face.

"I couldn't leave her to die, now could I? Grayback could be looking for her, and what chance would she have then without me there to protect her all of the time?"

He looked slightly abashed. "You covered everything."

"As much as possible. They believe the entire family died in a fire"

"Okay. At least they think that all three died in a house fire and not some other way."

"I'll report the truth to _The Daily Prophet_, anonymously, of course, as a Squib who had seen the whole thing from the window of her car. The people need to know what kind of monsters the Dark Lord is recruiting. That might stave off some would-be Death Eaters."

"Good idea. Might let the Dark Lord know that there are more people against him than the Order of the Phoenix."

"'About time too. He hides behind greater witches and wizards. The only reason he's so powerful, is because he's amassed such a great army."

"He's promised freedom from restriction."

"That sound like anarchy to me."

"Yeah. And what people don't realize is that freedom from restriction means-"

"That there'll be more deaths like tonight, only it'll be wizards dying, not just muggles."

"Let's just hope that this little girl is a witch. Because if she is, I'm going to teach her as much as I can about taking down that megalomaniac who dares set himself up as lord." Regulus's gray eyes snapped with determination, and I knew that when he looked like that, he meant every word. This little girl was going to grow up to be the Dark Lord's worst nightmare.

As I wrote a letter to _The Daily Prophet_ I idly wondered which of my activities from the night before would be on the front page.

The next morning _The Daily Prophet _headlines were,

**Grisly Scene Leaves Aurors Puzzled.**

The article read, _Early this morning, Aurors were called to a scene that left the even the strongest of them sickened. _

_No fewer than ten Death Eaters heads were found on spikes. Their bodies were hacked apart and strewn everywhere across the bloodstained ground._

_No one seems to know who did it, but it is fairly obvious as to why. This scene was found not far from a muggleborn and half-blood's home, both of whom have asked to remain anonymous. _

_Auror Moody was quoted as to saying, "As bloody as this scene is, what I wouldn't give to have the ones responsible on my side. They've succeeded in taking down more Death Eaters in one night than we have been able to in a month. I'm not encouraging this kind of brutality, but still…" The Auror asks that no one follow this example and seek out Death Eaters. "Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing," Moody added._

_The strangest thing is, is that only the Anti-Disapperation and Muggle Repelling wards were set up. Evidence suggests that no other magic war performed, except by the victims. _

_By all appearances, they were killed with a muggle weapon. Rather ironic considering that they view muggles as beneath them._

_No one knows who did it. The only clue is the letters E.C. written in the victims' blood along with this cheerful piece of poetry: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, whose head will be the next to fall?"_

_No photos were allowed to be taken of this scene because of its extreme gore._

_E.C. we intrepidly await your next attack, but please, downplay the macabre._

Regulus put down the paper. "Is that what you were doing when you happened across Hermione?"

"Yes."

"A little in the extreme, don't you think?"

"He'll more than likely remember who E.C. is and know that I'm alive and that I'm against him."

"Yes, we already discussed this. But did you have to be so brutal about it? You could have just killed them without the gruesome theatrics."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Where indeed?" he raised an eyebrow at me and continued to read.

Underneath the Death Eater massacre was the story of how a brave witch saved the life of a little muggle girl after her parents were murdered by Fenrir Grayback. If only they knew that both people on the front page were the same person. If they did, they'd probably have an aneurism.

I could imagine Rita Skeeter fainting dead away and getting stabbed in the heart by that Quick-Quotes-Quill of hers as she fell on it.

"What's so funny?" Regulus put down the paper and stared at me as if he was afraid I'd lost my mind. Which I wouldn't really blame him for.

"Just imagining Rita Skeeter dying because she fell on that blasted quill of hers after learning that the 'brave witch' and the one responsible for the Death Eaters' deaths were the same person." I continued to savor the image.

Regulus started laughing. "That would be amazing. She and that quill have told about as many lies as the Dark Lord."

"We are really messed up to laugh at something like that." I shook my head ruefully.

"You are more so because you think it's funny to write disturbing poetry at one of the bloodiest scenes ever recorded by _The Daily Prophet_, in blood I might add."

I couldn't deny that.


	6. A Little Girl Almost Avenged

A/N There is death in this chapter but not nearly as graphic as the last time someone died.

Hermione had been with us for a few months. Regulus practically monopolized her, not that I minded because I didn't know anything about babies or how to treat them. She liked me well enough, but she preferred Regulus—or Reginald Mason as he now called himself.

The rain was pounding against my window as I lay on my bed. As often as I could, I stopped Deatheater raids. I couldn't stop them all because there were some that still had some good left in them.

One night while I was playing the piano, a vision came to me. Deatheaters were going to killing a muggleborn girl and some of them had plans to rape her as well. This one, I could stop.

Donning my costume, I left the manor and Apparated to the scene.

The five men were slipping stealthily up to the back door.

"Are you trying to get yourselves killed?" I spoke from behind them. "Don't you know it's dangerous for Deatheaters to be out, especially at night?"

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

"Everyone will find out in the morning newspaper that you were going to hurt someone, but that you didn't because you parted company with your heads." Moving faster than they could see, I chopped their heads off.

The last one lay on the ground panting softly. I raised my sword over my head ready to kill him when something stopped me. His scent was familiar. Very familiar.

"Remove your mask," I commanded him and with shaking hands, he complied.

The first thing I saw was long, pale blond hair. It was the young man from the forest so many lifetimes ago.

"Go!"

"Why are you letting me go?" He seemed to think that this was some sort of trick.

"Because unwilling servants to that snake-faced bastard are the only ones I leave alive. Tell no one."

He stood up and ran.

It was Halloween when I finally decided to follow the path I had wanted to for years.

I stood in the doorway of Hermione's room, watching while Regulus read "The Fountain of Fair Fortune." If I interrupted now, she'd throw a fit and refuse to look at me for a long time—usually about five minutes.

As soon as she had fallen asleep, I broached the subject I had been avoiding all day, "I'm going to Romania and I'm not sure exactly when I'll come back."

"Why?" Regulus stared at me for a moment, shocked.

"I have some unfinished business there to take care of."

"Stephan and Vladimir?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure you can do it? I mean they're faster, stronger, and more experienced fighters than you are."

"I know, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Be careful, alright?"

"I'll do my best. Bye, Reg."

"Bye."

With that, I walked to the front hall and Disapparated.

I allowed my focus on the ones that betrayed me to the Dark Lord lead me close to where they were. It was an abandon castle, the kind muggles would explore to see if it was really haunted. With Dracula One and Two, it was very likely that most of them never came back out.

I searched the halls for a few moments before I found them in the throne room going through their victims' belongings. Typical. They were so power hungry, they set up shop in this particular room. What were they doing, imagining that this was their castle of old? Knowing them, it probably was.

They were below me from my vantage point in the rafters. I decided it was time to make my presence known. Picking up a stone, I flicked it across the room.

"What was that?" Stephan whispered.

"Hello boys. Did you miss me?"

"Elizabeth. It's been a while." Vladimir was appraising me. "So, did you finally decide to join our Lord?"

"I have no lord, least of all a mutilated bastard who dares set himself up as one," I sneered. "I refuse to lower myself to that level. Unlike some." I indicated them with my hand.

"Don't let him hear you calling him that," Stephan admonished.

"Your point?"

"He'll kill you."

"I'd like to see him try." My words came out in more of a snarl than anything else. "Or anyone else for that matter." I glowered at them, my lips curling back high over my teeth.

"I think she means to fight us. How precious!" Vladimir laughed

"This should teach her to insult us," Stephan breathed.

"Insult you? That was a compliment," I scoffed.

Stephan leaped at me, but I dodged. Vladimir caught me and threw me against the wall. I slammed into the stones them crumbled to the floor. They laughed as I lay trembling. One of my arms had broken and reset itself.

They weren't the first I had killed nor would they be the last. These laughing fools would pay dearly for what they had cost me. No one would ever suffer because of their existence. The Volturi could thank me later.

I knew I didn't stand a chance against two vampires with millennia of experience, so I went for the surprise attack. They were coming towards me so I didn't have much time.

I pulled a lighter out of my back pocket and lit it. Forcing the flames higher, I directed them at the Romanians. Their laughter cut off in screams.

There was no hope for them after I lit them on fire, but that didn't stop them from begging. They clawed themselves, trying to put out the fire, but the venom in their skin would not be put out and the flames roared on.

After their bodies had been reduced to ashes, I couldn't help but think of the irony of the situation. By fire vampires are born and by fire they die.

There wasn't much of a fight, but a little girl's sorrow was almost avenged. I got to see the ones who had betrayed me die.

I conjured a piece of paper and a pen.

_To Aro, Caius, and Marcus Lords of the Volturi._

_It would please you to know that the Romanian vampires, Stephan and Vladimir no longer exist. _

There was a town nearby, so I sent the letter after making sure that there was no scent left on the paper.

I lay in my bed that night, thinking of my family. It had been almost two years since I had looked in on them last. I knew they were safe from the Volturi, because Aro valued the power Carlisle could command. I could not look in on them now, because if I did, I would go back to them and bring my problems with me.

They didn't need to see how far I had fallen. They didn't need to know that I was a murderer. I knew my father had killed in his time of rebellion, but he didn't need to know that I was following his path fairly closely.

No, I didn't drink their blood, but I did decide who lived and who died. I was protecting people, but it didn't make me feel any better. My actions would protect countless lives because Deatheaters lived for the kill, but I still was a killer. It would break my mother's heart.

My gentle, hot tempered mother. I buried my face in my pillow and cried softly. Renesmee, my sweet sister and my father with his beautiful music and ability to read thoughts. Most of all Jake, the one who kept my secret. Was Nessie starting to fall in love with him? She was about that age. Edward was probably throwing a fit and Bella was probably having to kiss him to shut him up.

I fell asleep dreaming of my family.

I woke with a start. Something was very wrong. Before I could See what it was, my Mark burned with a vengeance, and then stopped. I pulled up my sleeve. It had faded to almost nothingness. It was still there, but more like a shadow, not the black it had been when I had last seen it hours ago.

"Elizabeth, are you awake?" it was Regulus knocking on my door. Apparently he felt it too.

"Yes."

"May I come in?"

"Sure."

The door burst open. "Did you feel it?"

"Did you see it?" I countered.

"See what?"

"After it burned like that, it faded almost completely away. It's still there which means he's still out there somewhere, but something happened to stop him."

"I wonder what?"

"The Potters'!"

"What?"

"You remember me telling you that the Dark Lord marked them for death?" At his nod, I continued, "He must have gone there tonight." I closed my eyes and searched the past.

I saw James and Lily die and the phenomenon with Harry. When I told this to Regulus, he stared.

"You mean someone survived the Killing Curse? That's impossible! No one survives! I know; I've seen it." He lowered his gaze and whispered, "I've done it."

"But he did survive, because of his mother's love. That is the most ancient and powerful magic in the universe. Even a muggle can do it. It put a protection around Harry that kept him from dying at the Dark Lord's hand tonight."

Regulus's brow furrowed, "I'm only worried of what Harry will become."

"You mean a Horcrux?" The possibility hadn't dawned on me until that moment.

"Yes." Regulus looked as though he had aged ten years in a split second.

"There has got to be a way to destroy the fragment while leaving the boy alive," I muttered.

"If there's not?" He seemed revolted at the idea of killing a child even if it would destroy the Dark Lord.

"I'm not even going to consider that right now. For now, I'm going to focus on finding a way to extract the soul from him," I said as fiercely as I could without growling. As many as I could keep from suffering at the Dark Lord's hand, I would, no matter what it took.

"I'll help you. That boy will not die if I have anything to say about it."

"I should never have gone to Romania tonight. If I hadn't they wouldn't have died."

"How could you know?"

"I should have been looking for it!"

When I wasn't looking for ways to separate Harry and the fragment of the Dark Lord's soul, I was searching for Hermione's true parentage.

There was nothing in the muggle world, so I decided the only place I was going to find it would be in the building where Delores Sumbitch, I mean Delores Umbridge worked.

With a few well placed spells I gained the access I wanted. In the archives of the Ministry, I found a birth certificate.

Name: Hermione Jean Potter

Mother: Mary McDonald

Father: James Potter

Given up for adoption due to marital status of father

James Potter. That was the name of Harry's father! So either James had two children by two different women, or something else was going on.

Footsteps were headed my way, so I could not check on Harry Potter's birth certificate. I couldn't find out anything else on the matter because if I lingered too much longer where I was, I would be caught. Too many spells of a certain kind might attract unwanted attention.

I wouldn't broadcast my discovery, because whatever else James was, he did his best to stop the Dark Lord. To me, that meant I keep his secret from all but his daughter when she was old enough to wonder about her father.

This meant that Hermione had an almost one hundred percent chance of being a witch. That would keep Regulus and the Volturi happy.

While on my way out, I saw Delores's office. I hated that woman so I decided to play a prank on her. For the next few months, anytime anyone but her would open the door there would be a rude sound followed by a horrible stench, but she would be completely unaware that anything was wrong. I could See that one day she would be high up in the Ministry, but this little stunt would keep her further down than she would have been.

Feeling much better than I had when I arrived, I departed for home.

Regulus would know Hermione's parents were wizards, but nothing more. More than one couple gave their child to muggles because of the Dark Lord, so he would easily accept it.


	7. Harry

**Warning: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! Don't say I didn't warn you.**

**Elizabeth**

It was a little over eight years ago that little Harry Potter had stopped the Dark Lord for a short while. But in the eerie calm that followed, I knew, like so many others who had the Dark Mark, that he would be back. And when he came back, there would be hell to pay, for everyone.

Hermione did little in the way of accidental magic because she always tried to keep a level head about things, but I could feel her core developing. She was promising to be quite powerful.

The only real bout of magic she did was when she was horseback riding and her horse started to fly when it didn't even have wings. Needless to say, she fell off and injured herself. But Severus Snape's potions soon had her in top order.

Christmas was just around the corner, so I went to London to do some last minute shopping.

Hermione and Regulus were begging me to tell them what I was getting them, but I refused. No matter how much they begged or what they threatened me with, I wasn't one to spill my secrets.

London was especially crowded. People were jostling each other and swearing, as if any of those things would make it easier to get their shopping done. I didn't care how much a kid wanted something, it wasn't worth it to behave like that.

For Hermione, I purchased the complete collection of Jane Austen's work, all of Charles Dickens' books, and Nathanial Hawthorne's volumes as well. That should keep her busy for quite some time—at least until I came to London again. There was also an iPod and several gift cards. I also purchased a laptop for her, that way when she had finished reading all of her books, she could research anything she wanted to—almost anything. Much like the books in my library, there would be limits to what she could read. I had thought about getting her toys, but she didn't ever play with the ones she had. She was also getting a flatscreen TV, Blu-Ray player, and all the movies she had wanted but that I wouldn't get her and told Regulus he had better not let her get them either. There were also several sets of clothes she had been eying but thought I wouldn't get for her.

While I was at the bookstore, I purchased several muggle history books for Regulus. He might like them. Anything electronic, he was recently into, so he got an iPod, song gift cards, a laptop, a flatscreen TV, Blu-Ray player, and about one hundred movies. There was even the latest cell phone for him.

After I'd put all my purchases into my bottomless bag, I started for home, running of course. Nothing could quite compare to the feeling of cold wind brushing against my burning skin.

I had just reached London city limits when I heard a woman's voice whisper, "Help me."

"Who's there?" I searched for the source, but I couldn't even find a heartbeat. There was no sound of breathing, just that whisper.

"Over here!" a glimmer of silver led me down an alley. "This way!" I warily followed the voice and glimmer mile after mile, but I still couldn't figure out where it was leading me.

A road sign read "Privet Drive." Why was I being brought here, into this dull neighborhood? All the houses looked exactly, boringly alike. What in the name of all that was holy was I being brought here?

I was led to number 4.

"Up here!"

I jumped to the open, upper-story window. The room was cluttered with broken toys and other junk. Talk about wasteful. I leaped over it to the door.

"Down here."

The glimmer had stopped at the foot of the stairs. The scent of human blood hung thick in the air. I ignored the thirst that the scent brought. Someone had been hurt and hurt badly. Slowly, almost fearfully, I opened the heavily locked cupboard under the stairs.

There, lying on a cot was the small figure of a boy. He looked to be about five or six. Cuts and scrapes and bruises and burns covered his rag-clothed body. It was obvious he was underfed, severely. Whoever was supposed to take care of him were doing just that, only it looked like they were trying to do so permanently. His lips were cracked, as though he hadn't had a drink of water in several days.

Tear tracks stained his face, but looked like they'd been scrubbed away. He'd been crying recently.

The silver figure solidified partially. It was a beautiful woman. Her face was extremely sad. "This is my son. His name is Harry."

"Harry Potter!" I gasped as I brushed the hair away from his forehead. The lightning bolt scar was clear on his forehead, even through the blood and dirt.

"Yes. My sister and her husband have behaved abominably towards him. Raise him, heal him. Please, I'm begging you."

"You do know what I am, don't you?" No one in their right mind would ask a vampire or a Death Eater for any favors, and I was both.

"Yes. You also live in the most warded house in existence. With those things, if anyone dared attack him, they wouldn't get very far."

"I'm also a Death Eater."

"Not because you wanted to be. You were forced into it. I know you want to defeat Voldemort. Harry can help you when he's older, but only if he's pulled out of this environment." She was pleading with me now. She was trying to appeal to the side of me who hated the Dark Lord and would do just about anything to ensure his defeat: even raise a broken little boy.

"In that case, I'll do everything in my power to help your son."

She smiled slightly, "Thank you. I'll see you in a few years." She faded away before I could ask her anything about that.

Carefully, I scooped the broken body in my arms. This child would need more than a little tender loving care to help him recover. Hopefully, I was up to the task. Because if not, then he would end up worse than what he was right then.

There was an envelope that looked like it had been handled many times, and I grabbed it as well.

He was awake and trying desperately to have me think otherwise, so I pretended to believe he was asleep.

The Dursleys had apparently left the house for the evening, so I had no fear of exposure. I closed the cupboard door and charmed it so that it would only open for law enforcement officials that would bring these human monsters to justice.

The front door swung open, and I walked out. I decided to leave it open, wide. Spitefully, I hoped some thief would come in and steal everything of value since the door was open and the car was gone.

At the end of the walk, I Apparated home.

Regulus was waiting for me, like a child, ready to pounce to find out what I was getting him. When he saw the boy in my arms, however, he stared in shock.

"Who is that?" Regulus asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Yep, I'd kidnapped another child. Arrest me.

The moment Harry heard Regulus's voice, he started to panic. "Don't give me to him. Please, don't give me to him."

I don't think he realized he'd even spoken aloud.

"This is Harry Potter."

"What?" Regulus turned his wide eyed gaze to the Boy-Who-Lived. No one expected the hero of the Wizarding world to look like a broken, discarded rag doll.

"I'm going to take him up to my room. After he's cleaned up, he's going to stay on the chaise lounge in there for the time being." Regulus followed me as I continued to give instructions. "And tomorrow, we'll see what we can do about getting custody of him. You will be my solicitor, Mr. Crawly, and I will be Miss Elizabeth Masen, a child psychiatrist whose father is a doctor. That way he will have the best care possible to help him recover.

"The story will be that I am his godmother and I just graduated university a few weeks ago. I had hoped to be a little more into my practice, but when I learned of their behavior towards him, I decided to step in early."

"Do you want to press charges as well?"

"Yes. I have photo evidence as well as my 'father's' detailed physical exam." With a wave of my hand, the documents appeared, and Regulus left the room. I couldn't help but notice how long the list of injuries the "exam" held. It was not nearly as detailed as it would have been had it been for magical people, but muggles wouldn't be able to understand how I had known all those things had happened to him.

I heard him telling the elves to prepare whatever healing potions we had left from Hermione's horse riding accident in case I could use them.

**Harry**

I was thrown into my cupboard again. The Dursleys were going out, so I would be locked in here all evening. For a few hours, I would have respite from the beatings and Uncle Vernon hurting me.

I never knew anything but pain and rejection. No one wanted a freak. Freaks were just meant to be treated badly.

Dudley wasn't a freak, and his parents loved him. Why couldn't I be normal? It wasn't my fault that weird things happened when I was around. It's not like I wanted them to happen. They just did.

"Please. Please, angels, send my daddy to rescue me. I promise I'll be good. I won't make any noise. Please." It was no use; no one ever came. But that didn't stop me from begging. My daddy must not have loved me. No one did.

I wasn't good enough to be loved. Tears leaked from my eyes, and I brushed them roughly away.

There were voices outside the cupboard. They were back! I was going to be in trouble if they saw that I was crying!

I listened closer and was a little surprised by what I heard. Two women were talking. Neither of them sounded like Aunt Petunia.

Someone opened the door, a small, beautiful, dark angel with green eyes and short, black hair. She looked like one of those women in a rock band on TV.

But there was something about her though that kind of scared me, something I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

She picked me up, and the door opened without her touching it.

Then there was a feeling like I had been sucked into a tube. If there had been anything in my stomach, I would have thrown up.

Another door opened. I guessed we were at her home.

Maybe, if I kept real quiet and helped around her house, she would be nice to me. Even less than that: maybe she would give me a warm corner in her house and a little food and water every day and not be mean to me.

I couldn't trust her. Adults were the worst to me.

There was a man there. Please, don't let her give me to him. Please, I'll do anything.

She said something about someone called "Harry." That wasn't me. My name was "Freak." Who was Harry, and what did she mean about being his godmother?

There was a quick breeze, and then I heard water running. Oh, no! She was going to hurt me! I struggled against her grip, but she was way too strong. She was much, much stronger than Uncle Vernon. How? She was so tiny!

"Calm down, I'm just going to get you cleaned up." Her voice sounded nice. It was rather low in pitch and sounded almost like she was singing when she talked. If she was as nice as her voice, maybe, it would just be cold water. I could handle cold water. Please let it be cold water.

The one time I had asked for hot water to bathe in, Aunt Petunia had gotten a kettle and made it boil. Uncle Vernon then poured it on me saying that that's all the hot water freaks ever get. After that, I never asked again.

A soft, warm, wet cloth began rubbing me gently. What happened to my clothes? I peeked to see her expression. The angel's face was expressionless, but her eyes were angry. If she was angry, when would she start being cruel to me?

My body stopped hurting so badly. Was she making me not hurt?

No, freaks didn't deserve to have doctors look after them. That's what Aunt Petunia always said. I must just be getting used to the pain again. That was when the worse things happened. They would make me think that maybe the beatings had stopped, and then Uncle Vernon would hurt me. I couldn't understand what I did wrong.

She was rubbing that soft cloth all over me. Whatever was on it smelled strange, like something Aunt Petunia used to boil when she had a head cold and needed to get rid of it fast. What was it called? Oh, yes, Tea Tree Oil.

There were also several other scents I didn't recognize. Some smelled horrible, but it made me feel better, and she was being nice, so I didn't complain.

I dared open my eyes all the way and look at her.

"We have the same eye color, Harry Potter." She stopped what she was doing and pushed back my hair. "The same, exact color."

What she did next shocked me. She held up her hand and a bottle floated towards her. She was a freak like me! Did that mean that Aunt and Uncle had lied to me? No, they couldn't have been. They punished me worse when they thought I was lying.

"I'm going to need you to close your eyes." Her voice was calm, soothing. It sounded like music.

I stared at her. Was she going to hurt me? The look in those green eyes brooked no argument, so I did what she asked, tensing for the pain.

She shifted me, and then poured warm water over my hair. She began to rub something that smelled nice into it. For several minutes she repeated this process. None of whatever she used got into my eyes.

Why was she taking care of me? The only time anyone was nice to me was when something worse was going to happen. I started to shake, remembering what Uncle Vernon and some of his "friends" would do. It hurt every time. I learned that the less I fought, the less it hurt.

"Shh, calm down. It's okay." I was wrapped in a big fluffy towel and she began to dry me off.

"God, what have those bastards done to you?" she whispered.

**Elizabeth**

Regulus was more adept at dealing with the kinds of injuries this boy had, but the whole time he was in the room, Harry had whispered that I not give him over to the man. I don't think he was even aware that he was saying anything.

In the bath, he had shaken the whole time. Apparently, baths were a part of the torture they had used. Pus was oozing from some of his wounds, so I rubbed the healing balms we had on them.

With the blood and grime gone, the wounds were more clearly visible. Laceration, burns, whip marks. It looked like they used everything to beat the poor child with. There was also evidence that he may have been raped. On his back, were branded the words "Freak" and "slut." What kind of people called an eight year old child those kinds of things?

I seriously wanted to kill them.

The entire time I was bathing him, I imagined what sort of tortures I would inflict on them.

As I worked, I realized something. As I had stared into the abyss, the abyss had stared back. I was now considering doing the very things I had killed people for doing.

I raised my hand and a parchment flew off the table. A quill followed and began to write down a detailed account of all he had suffered. That way if anyone tried to take him from me, I had that to keep him with me.

As it wrote, I dressed Harry in a pair of soft pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.

He stared at me confused for a few seconds. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he lowered his gaze. He would learn that he deserved nice things too.

"Dinky!"

"Yes, miss?"

"Is the chaise ready for Harry?"

"Yes, miss."

"Good. Have Hoppy fill a small tumbler with warm milk and lace it with Dreamless Sleep, just a little. Make sure that there's some Stomach Soother added so he doesn't get sick. If we have some nutrient potions put a little in there. Also, tell Regulus to go to Potions Master Severus Snape tomorrow. We will need every potion he has in regards to healing non-magical wounds." The little elf bowed and left the room.

I trusted no other potions maker in the world. When Hermione had been hurt, I had gone to some of the other shops, but their potions were so bad, I would rather not use them. Severus Snape was the best, and I only bought the best, because they worked like none other.

"Follow me." For now, it seemed best not to touch him very much.

"You will sleep here until I tell you otherwise. Do you understand?" When he nodded, I continued, "There are pillows and blankets here. The pillow, I expect to be used every night, and the blankets are to be used if you get cold. I like my room quite chilly, so that may happen quite often. You will use at least one blanket every night. I will not allow you to become cold. Now lie down and pull some blankets up."

He did as he was told. His tense little body told me that he was waiting for me to laugh at him and throw him or something along those lines.

"Here you go, miss. Milk, just likes you says. We has some nutrient potions thats you ordered from Master Severus. They was still good, so Hoppy uses them. They is all gone now."

"Thank you."

The elf disappeared.

I handed Harry the glass and said, "Drink it all."

He took the glass and stared at me in awe and fear. Damn those muggles for denying a little boy the basic necessities to survive.

"Drink it," I said as softly as I could.

Hesitantly, he raised the glass to his lips and slowly began to drink. He kept his eyes downcast the whole time as if waiting for someone to strike him.

As soon as he was finished, his eyes began to droop. He curled up on the bed without the quilt or pillow. Carefully, I tugged him up so that his head was on the pillow then pulled a thick quilt over his body and tucked it around his frail shoulders.

For a few minutes I watched him while he breathed quietly. I remembered how I could feel his ribs poking through his skin. He was, literally, skin and bones. I was shocked that he could stand on his own. What had kept him alive for so long?

Even as the thought crossed my mind, I already knew the answer. Magic. Pure and simple magic.

This little boy truly was powerful in more ways than one.

I couldn't help but feel proud of him.

I touched his mind to see what he was thinking.

_She's been so nice to me. She told me to lie down on the softest bed I ever had. I'm a little afraid she would take it from me and laugh, but she hasn't yet. There are warm blankets and a pillow that she said I should use. She also gave me warm milk! It tasted so good! For a second, I was afraid I would get sick, but instead, I became very tired. _

His last thought before drifting off to sleep made me so angry and sad. _No one is nice to me unless they wanted something from me. If she is being this nice, she would want a lot from me. I only hoped it's not to be given to that man._

I felt my rage anew at those pathetic muggles who dared harm a child in any way.

**Regulus**

Elizabeth had gone Christmas shopping and I decided to wait up. Though I knew Elizabeth well enough to know that she kept her secrets close to her chest, I hoped that I could get at least a hint of what was in her pockets. I knew Hermione was awake as well, because she, like me, didn't like waiting for Christmas morning, though she stayed in her room because she wasn't allowed out after ten o'clock—that was the only time I spent as Regulus Black, and she couldn't know who I really was.

What Elizabeth carried in was nothing close to what I was expecting. She brought home none other than Harry Potter. What was even more shocking was the deplorable condition he was in. I could smell the blood and filth, and my nose wasn't as sharp as Elizabeth's.

He seemed terrified of me, so as soon as Elizabeth gave me instructions as to how she wanted this handled, I left the room. Though I wanted to help in any way I could, I didn't want to be the cause of any of his distress.

I sat in front of the fireplace in the library and thought about the last few minutes. Elizabeth was ice cold. Her green eyes snapped furiously. When Elizabeth was this calm, she was planning a fierce retribution. If I was the Dursleys, I would be trembling in fear, then kill myself to avoid her wrath.

An elf talking to me brought me out of my thoughts. "Master, Miss Elizabeth says to tell you that you need to go see Master Snape tomorrow. She wants potions for the little boy, everything for healing non-magical wounds." Dinky bowed a little.

The elves here were nothing like I was used to. Maybe it's because Elizabeth hated being surrounded by anything weak. It made her want to punch and kick and through tantrums if someone groveled around her.

"Thank you, Dinky." Sitting in my chair was doing no good, and I had to do something to help that little boy, anything. His broken body and terrified whispers tore at my heart. Glancing at the clock I decided I would go tonight as it was not quite nine. Severus was smart enough to know when glamour was applied, but he was Slytherin enough not to pry.

I glanced at the mirror to make sure my clothes were neat and the person I saw would never be confused with Regulus Black, pureblood extraordinaire. I was now Reginald Masen: muggleborn. My mother would be turning in her grave.

**Severus**

The majority of the dunderheads would be going home for the holidays in just a few days. Finally I would have some much needed peace and quiet. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, despising the headmaster for pretty much blackmailing me into becoming Hogwarts' Potions Master.

After a nice cup of tea, I would be ready for bed.

I was shocked when my floo flared and Headmaster Dumbledore stepped through. He was followed by a young man with short, light brown hair and pale blue eyes.

"This is Reginald Masen. He requires some of your healing potions." The Headmaster indicated the other man.

"For what kinds of injuries?"

"Burns, knife wounds, belts, sexual abuse, etc..." Reginald tried to remain calm about it, but the way his voice tripped slightly over the words, I could tell whoever had been hurt affected him a great deal. "Also, I need potions to deal with extreme malnutrition. And scar removal."

"If you don't mind my asking, who is this injured party and what is their age? Some of the potions you are requesting require knowing gender and age." I was rifling through my stores getting the required potions. Some of my Slytherins required the potions he was asking for, so I kept a good stock on hand.

"A boy about nine."

So, with him having the past he did, he would more than likely be put into Slytherin. That also put him at about the same age as the Boy-Who-Lived-to-be-the-Bane-of-my-Already-Miserab le-Existence.

Now, _there_ was a boy who would never be mistreated or be put in my House. People were already counting on him being put into Gryffindor.

Good, all the more reason for me to pick on him. He was probably just like James: pompous, spoiled, conceited, and a bully.

For this mistreated boy, if he came to my House, I would do everything that no one thought to do for me.

There was something about Reginald that struck me as familiar. The sound of his voice, his inflections, his facial expression, everything, reminded me of someone I should know, but had forgotten. He had applied his glamour charms very well. So well, in fact, that they were almost undetectable.

"Here you go Mr. Masen." I handed him the vials.

"Here's three hundred galleons." He laid a pouch on the table. I knew better than to argue with him. If I did, it might insult him. Besides, even though he paid more than they cost to make, he would have to pay more than twice as much if he had purchased them at the apothecaries. Plus, he was paying for good quality products.

As soon as the floo announced that Reginald disappeared, I turned to the Headmaster, "Who is he really?"

"I honestly have no idea. I was hoping you could tell me."

"I feel like I should know him, but I can't place him. His Glamour Charms were very well applied. That leads me to believe he has had to use them quite often."

"He reminded me of young Regulus in a way."

"No one survives the Dark Lord's wrath. We both know that." It was a simple fact, one that had cost me dearly.

"No one, Severus?"

"_Don't_ bring Potter's progeny into this, Headmaster." He seemed a little surprised by my tone, but I couldn't care less. I didn't like being reminded that the woman I loved ended up marrying the man I hated more than anything besides the Dark Lord, and then ended up carrying his child.

Humming, the Headmaster took a pinch of floo powder and disappeared into his office. Damn the man for mentioning the boy.

Halloween had been the last time I had heard anyone talk about the boy. That was all he was to me: "the boy."

_(flashback)_

"_Can you believe it's been eight years since Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who?" Professor Sprout was talking to Professor Flitwick. _

"_Kindly refrain from mentioning that name in my presence," I sneered._

"_What name?" Professor Sprout asked. _

"_The first name, obviously," I sneered._

"_Why?" Clearly she was shocked that someone didn't appreciate that the Dark Lord had been vanquished._

"_Because I despise his father." That was only part of the reason. The night the Dark Lord had fallen, was also the night that Lily had died._

Only Albus knew how I really felt about Lily, and he had kept it a secret.

There would be little of Lily in Harry. That was one thing I could just about count on. He would be James, through and through.

With a sigh, I pulled my thoughts off of Potter and directed them to what had just happened a few minutes earlier. I wished I could do more to help this young boy that I had learned of this evening. He needed so much help. He needed someone who understood at least a portion of his pain to help him recover.


	8. Surprise and Arrest

**Elizabeth**

It was just before dawn when I woke up. Harry was still asleep, so I decided to take advantage of that fact and take care of myself.

After a very slow, hot shower, I happened across the letter that I had taken from Harry's hovel. It looked as though it had been read over and over again. It was creased and spattered with blood.

The yellowed pages obviously brought a measure of comfort to the boy, and I couldn't help but wonder why.

It would be rude to read it, but I speculated as to what was it about this piece of paper that Harry had clung to? Curiosity got the better of me so I opened it.

_My Dearest Sev,_

_I don't know how to tell you this, but I'll do my best. If you hadn't been so bent on joining the Death Eaters, I would have told you sooner. Now, I can see that my decision for silence drove you farther away. Though it is too late to bemoan the past._

_You remember, I'm sure, that night our seventh year? Well, I became pregnant. It wouldn't be wise for a Death Eater to be found to have fathered a child with a Mudblood. It could mean death for all involved, including you._

_I went to Madam Pomfrey and she found a potion that would lengthen the pregnancy for up to a year. Professor Dumbledore enlisted James' help to keep anyone from knowing. James was never told who the father was, just that I had become pregnant and that the encounter wasn't forced._

_We were married as soon as possible because the potion was starting to wear off. James and I were never more than friends. We could hardly bear to touch each other without cringing, but for the sake of appearances and the safety of all involved, we played our charade. _

_James told me a few months back that he had a daughter he could not see until Voldemort falls. He didn't tell me who the mother was, but I know he loves her. It kills him to be apart from them. _

_I think that's why he treats Harry as his son. He's giving him all the attention he can't give his daughter. He has a picture of her that I found him crying over more than once. _

_When you receive this letter, I will probably be dead. I have a feeling we will be betrayed and not by who you think. If I die, look into it. I can't tell you more, but who you think is guilty, is not._

_Love our son for me Severus Snape, please. Give him the love I won't be able to. _

_People think he looks like James, but I know the truth. He looks like you with my nose, eyes, and hair texture._

_There is one other person who I think suspect the truth: Remus Lupin. He never says anything, but he sometimes looks at us as though he knows._

_All my love,_

_Your Lily_

I stared at the sheet of paper in my hand for a few moments processing what I had read. Now, I could make sense of the birth certificate I had found. Hermione was James's child and Harry was Severus's.

This whole story sounded like a weird soap opera. I shook my head slightly. Humans were even stranger than I had first thought.

Severus couldn't see his son like this. I would wait to tell him the truth until Harry could handle being in the presence of a man without freaking out. I would send it with Harry when he went to school. It would also be a good idea to send a note explaining why I didn't give him the letter sooner. He would probably be angry with me, and he had every right to be.

A movement from the chaise broke through my musings so I flitted over to it, but stood where Harry wouldn't see me when he first opened his eyes.

Harry woke with a start. As soon as he saw the sun filtering through the curtains, he jumped up. "I'm sorry Aunt Petunia; I'll make breakfast as soon as possible."

"You're safe, Harry." I placed a hand on his arm, "Shh, you're safe. No one's going to beat you. Not while you're living with me."

He stared at the floor, seemingly unwilling to believe me.

"Today, I have to go somewhere for a few hours. My servants have been ordered to give you milk and toast with a little jam on it. I want it finished before I get back, but don't eat it too fast." Regulus had shrunk some of his clothes to fit Harry until we could get him some, and I handed these to him. "These are yours." He took the clothes hesitantly. "You may dress in the bathroom. I want you to take a bath. You may use however much water you want to and at whatever temperature. These are for you to put in your water. They will aid in healing." I handed him some vials. "These are to be put on after you get out. I will put it on whatever areas you may miss when I get back." I handed him a few tubes of balm. "You are not to leave this room until I get back. The bathroom is over there."

He looked at me hesitantly.

"I won't hurt you, or allow you to be hurt."

He lowered his head and trudged to the bathroom. Once, I caught him peeking at me to see if I was going to follow him, but I stayed where I was.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, I placed spells all over the room and bathroom so he couldn't hurt himself in any way, not even with hot water.

I glanced at the clock. It was a little after eight, so I decided it was time to get ready to face the Dursleys. A black Dolce jumpsuit, black Coach bag with gray C's, five inch Michael Kors sandals, a Tiffany bracelet and necklace, and Coach sunglasses later, I was dressed for battle.

Regulus met me at the front door. He had changed his hair to salt and pepper. He added a mustache and turned his eyes brown. "Ready to go?" he asked. He had on a black Dolce suit, Rolex wristwatch, and black Coach dress shoes. A pair of sleek wire rim glasses completed the effect.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Promise me that you won't let me hurt anyone."

"If you do the same for me. I've already alerted the authorities. They are waiting for us. I told them you had already retrieved your ward, but you just wanted to make it official and to press any possible charges."

"'Possible charges?'" He knew very well that I wanted to press charges.

"Well, I didn't tell them anything except that you felt he may have been abused."

I snorted and opened the door.

My black Lamborghini with blue flames on the sides was parked in front of the house.

Regulus rolled his eyes and climbed in. "A little ostentatious, don't you think?"

"Not much."

"You and your cars. Do you own every kind of car there is that costs over £50,000? I know for a fact I saw a few in that garage that cost at least four times that."

"Not all of them. Some I find quite ugly. I refuse to waste money on a car that doesn't appeal to me, no matter how much it costs." I tapped the dashboard and the car transported us just a few miles from where we were to meet the law enforcement officials.

When Regulus saw the café that was our designated meeting place, he said, "You are going for the full effect aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Rich heiress adopts abused little boy."

"Well, at least there will be no question as to whether or not I can care for him financially."

"True. It may work for you or against you. They may see a rich girl who wants to make a difference in the world or rich girl who only went to school because her parents made her and is now being forced to care for a broken child."

"Well, I'll just have to make sure that they see the first, now won't I?"

A woman in a black suit approached us as we exited my car. "Miss Masen? Mr. Crawly?" Three other men and a woman stood behind her. They were all wearing dark pant suits with white shirts.

"That's us." I pushed my sunglasses back with one hand and shook her hand with the other.

"I'm Inspector Agnes Dupree."

"Are we ready then?" Regulus glanced around at the three other cars still had occupants: police officers.

She nodded and motioned for the others to get into their vehicles. We were soon driving as fast as the speed limits allowed towards Number 4 Privet Drive.

When I got out of the car, I could hear a man say, "Has the freak started breakfast yet? I have to get to work."

There was stomping on the stairs and a woman's voice, "Wake up you ungrateful brat!" followed by several knocks on the cupboard door.

I rapped sharply twice on the front door.

A whale of a man opened the door, "Whatever it is you're selling, we're not buying." He tried to slam the door in my face.

"Oh, but you are." I held up my hand and stopped it from closing. He struggled against me, but I refused to move. "You see, I am Harry Potter's godmother."

His piggish eyes widened. "P-Petunia?" he spluttered.

A horse faced woman tromped angrily down the stairs. "Yes?" She looked at me and almost immediately knew that I wasn't a muggle and her eyes widened infinitesimally.

"So, are you going to let us in or not?" I gave him the scariest face I could. And with me being a vampire, that was absolutely terrifying.

He paled visibly. He may not have known what I was, but he knew enough about the magical world to back off from a more powerful being. He stepped aside, shaking.

"Good." We brushed passed him and into the living room.

"Now, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, I have papers I need you to sign so my client can have full guardianship of her godson."

"Th-the boy's not here at the moment," Vernon stuttered.

"He's at a friend's house. Who knows when he'll be back?" Petunia kept glancing over at the cupboard under the stairs as if hoping he would not emerge.

"He doesn't need to be present for you to sign the papers. Besides, there's no need to lie, now is there?" My voice came out as a threatening purr. "I came and got Harry last night. He is at my home this very moment."

"_You_ broke into my house?" Vernon roared, his face reddening. A vein popped out on his forehead.

If he knew what his anger was doing for my thirst, he would have left the room immediately. The adrenaline was sweetening his blood, and the scent tickled my throat.

"Didn't you receive my message? I thought for sure I left one." I gazed back at him coldly, completely unfazed at his outburst.

They glanced at each other, both clearly remembering my "message." The open door was enough to scare anyone, especially since it was locked before they left.

"Fine, we'll sign your bloody papers." Vernon growled.

"I didn't know he had a godmother," Petunia stared at me warily.

"His mother and I were friends at school though she was several years ahead of me. She wanted me to take care of her son, but to finish my education first, so I did. And last night I collected my ward."

"Mr. Dursley, where did the boy usually sleep?" Inspector Dupree asked.

"Upstairs."

"Where else would he?" Petunia simpered.

"Under them?" I asked. "That's where I found him last night."

"Oh, he goes down there when he's throwing a tantrum. Spoiled child." Vernon seemed pleased with his explanation.

"And he locks it from the outside, of course." I nodded. Two could play this game, though it was getting old very quickly.

"Locked? It wasn't locked." Petunia was doing her best to make me feel stupid.

"Inspector, would you like to take a look under the stairs and tell me what you find." I chose to ignore the woman. I hated having anything to do with these two _people_.

"Certainly." She stood up.

"Don't you dare!" Vernon tried to stop her. What was supposed to be a fearsome, terrifying strut, turned into a fearsomely funny waddle. If it hadn't been for the things I knew he had done to Harry, I would have laughed outright.

"Mr. Dursley, I have a warrant with me right now giving me every right to search the premises! Child abuse charges have been filed against you, and until there is an arrest or there is no proof for such charges, I have every right to do so. So I suggest you remove yourself from my path, or I will have you arrested right now for the obstruction of justice."

"Sit." I pointed to the chair he had just vacated.

"You did this, you-you freak!" He blazed at me.

"But of course." I crossed my arms in front of me, smirking.

Inspector Dupree opened the cupboard and looked around. She pulled out of it, her face pale.

"Oh, my father gave Harry a thorough exam last night after I brought him home and this is what he found." I motioned to Regulus and he handed her the packet I had created.

Inspector Dupree flipped through the papers, her already pale face whitening even more as she read. "You two had better hire a good lawyer. Arrest them." She motioned to the officers with her.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were cuffed on the spot.

Petunia protested shrilly the entire time, "You have no right to do this to me! I'm on the Neighborhood Watch!"

"Actually, we have every right to do this. If you cared so much about this Neighborhood Watch of yours, you would have turned in your whale and yourself to the police." I raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to object.

"My husband will lose his job! Our good names will be ruined!"

"I'd say that would be the least of your worries." Regulus muttered darkly. Two angry Death Eaters on the warpath were not something to mess with.

I wished I could cast some sort of spell on them, but knew that if I did, the Dursleys would not be found guilty by reason of insanity.

Soon, the neighborhood gossip became the neighborhood gossip. The whale and his horse were dragged away, and an officer escorted the little pig to another car to be taken to his aunt's house.

The aunt was given instructions that a councilor would be by once a week ensure that Dudley was unlearning the terrible habits that his father had taught him with strict warnings as to what would happen if he learned prejudices from them.

"Thank you Miss Masen," Inspector Dupree shook my hand once more. "You have stopped a major miscarriage of justice."

"I only hope it was soon enough. I wish he didn't have to see them again."

"I believe you have given us enough information that the boy will not need to appear in court."

"I think that would be best. He can't be around people for quite some time and seeing them," I gestured with my chin at his aunt and uncle, "again may set back whatever progress we will have made by that time."

Regulus and I returned home in much the same manner as we had departed.

It was high time I checked on Harry. When I opened the door to my room, I was shocked to find the floor soaked.

The door to the bathroom was partially open, so I went in. Water was overflowing the tub, so I turned it off and dried the floor with a wave of my hand.

Harry was curled up on his side in a corner. His thin arms were wrapped tightly around his skinny knees. He was rocking back and forth muttering, "Please. Please." The bones of his scrawny body rolled beneath the skin as he moved.

I should not have left him to fend for himself. Stupid me. I could See the future, but I couldn't understand this child.

"It's okay, Harry. No one's going to hurt you." I crossed the room slowly. Gently, I brushed his damp hair away from his face. His green eyes stared at me blindly for a few moments before he seemed to realize where he was and he looked down again.

"Come on, you've got to get a bath." He started to visibly shake. "You need to heal and water helps you do that. I promise I won't let Vernon Dursley hurt you again. He can't. I made sure of that. He's being punished for the way he treated you. No one has any right to hurt you in any way."

I summoned a calming draught and spelled it into his system.

After he had visibly relaxed, I picked him up and placed him in the tepid water. The whole time, I touched him as lightly and as little as possible. As I bathed him I was cursing myself. How could I have been so stupid as to make him bathe himself? I should have known better!

When he was clean and dry, the first thing I did was rub healing balms on all of his wounds. There were several serious injuries on his bottom, but I had to be very careful touching him there. Whenever I went past a certain point, he stiffened up and started thrashing, but now that he had the calming draught in him, it was a little easier to smooth the balm on his body.

**Harry**

She hadn't gotten mad that I hadn't taken a bath. She made me take one, but she didn't yell at me or hit me.

I couldn't trust her. Whenever I would start to trust her, she would hurt me. That's how everyone was.

I didn't know why I got so scared. There was no one around to hurt me, but the water reminded me of Uncle Vernon. After he had hurt me, he would throw me in the tub and pour hot water all over me.

Elizabeth was nice. I wished I could trust her. She never yelled at me. She didn't hit me. She just took care of me.

Her skin was very warm like she had been outside too long or had a fever, but she didn't look sick. In fact, she looked very healthy.

After she dressed me, she forced me to eat a thin slice of bread with just a smear of jam and drink a small glass of milk. She was having me eat more in two days than I was allowed to eat in a week. I thought I was going to be sick, but she said there was something in the milk to keep me from not being able to hold it down.

Uncle Vernon was going to get angry with me for eating, but she promised me that he couldn't hurt me anymore. She said he wouldn't be able to find me even if he hired the best trackers in the world.

I fell asleep listening to her hum a lullaby she said her daddy sang to her and her sister when they were little.

Maybe she really is an angel. I hoped so.


	9. Boy With the Wrong Last Name

**Very brief canon slash mentioned.**

**Some may think that this chapter is Dumbledore bashing, but that is not my intent. If it seems that way, I apologize in advance. If you wanted bashing, go look elsewhere. The only bashing may be a little Ron, but nothing too serious.**

**Albus**

Arabella Figg arrived in my office late one evening.

"Albus, I have some things I think you should know about."

"What is it?"

"Some very interesting and disturbing things have been happening in the area of Number 4 Privet Drive."

Harry Potter. "Such as?" I kept my voice calm.

"The first being there was a rumor circulating through the neighborhood that the Dursleys' front door had been left wide open last night after three of them had gone out for the evening."

"And Harry?"

"I don't know. No one was seen entering the front door, but I saw a glowing silver apparition—very similar to a Patronus—followed by a very small dark haired woman in black who jump up to the second story window as easy as anything. The girl exited through the front door carrying something that looked very similar to a child's body—I think it may have been Harry—and she left the front door wide open."

"Did it look like Harry was okay?" Right now, I didn't give a damn about the Dursleys. All that mattered to me was Harry's safety.

"She was cradling the boy like a mother would her newborn baby."

"Hopefully that's a good sign. Now, you mentioned that there was more than one thing that might interest me?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were arrested this morning. All anyone seemed to know was that a fancy black car drove in the lane followed by several other cars carrying inspectors and police officers.

"After several minutes, the officers had exited; both the Dursleys had been in handcuffs with Petunia protesting like a banshee. Their son was escorted off in a police car.

"There was a small black haired girl who was too beautiful to be human and an older man driving the fancy car. If I didn't know any better, I would think the girl was a Veela except she had an air about her that no Veela would have. This girl was not someone anyone wanted to mess with. There was something in the way she moved that frightened me... It was like she was hunting."

"Tell no one what you told me. We can't have this getting to the Minister. Keep me posted if anything else happens pertaining to Harry's whereabouts," I said.

"Of course. Guess I'll get back to my post."

"Thank you. Remain there until tomorrow morning, see what else you can find out, and you will have upheld your end of the deal. At that time I will uphold mine." I had told her that if she kept watch over Harry I would get at what I could of her family's property for her. Because she was a Squib her family had cut her off, but I had purchased the best pieces of it, and now it was time to give it to her.

She smiled brightly and flooed away.

What happened to little Harry? I thought he would be safe with his mother's family, but clearly I was wrong.

As I pondered what had happened to young Harry, something struck me as odd about both stories. The girl who had been there when the Dursleys were arrested and the girl, who was seen exiting the house the night before, were very tiny with dark hair. Were they the same person? If so, how could I find her? I had to be sure that Harry was okay. Guilt wracked me at the thought of all they could have done to him.

Then there was the fact that the very night Harry disappeared, a man arrived at the school needing potions for his niece's godson, who was about nine.

I made my way slowly to the Astronomy Tower and looked down at the school below me. This was my place I would go to clear my head and rethink things from a different perspective.

Where was the little boy who had the wrong last name?

Lily had told me she would tell Severus in her own way when she had come to me asking for help.

I, in turn, promised her I would keep Harry safe, but I had failed them both. How many other people must I fail in my life? I had failed my mother, my sister, my brother. Then I had failed Gellert. I encouraged my power hungry lover on his path of destruction. I had overlooked his glaring faults and proceeded to love him heedlessly. That had proved to be my greatest mistake. It took not only him—defeated by my own hand—but my sister, and in a way my brother, away from me.

I wondered if Severus knew that he was a father, with the woman he loved nearly all his life as the child's mother. He should know, but I was not the one to tell him. Lily had made me and anyone who knew who the father was, swear to secrecy.

She loved Severus, Lily did. I could see it in her face when she begged me to help her. The way I 'helped' her had ended up driving her love further into Tom's ranks.

If we had told him then, he may have become a spy that much sooner. He may have never revealed the prophecy to his master. Lily would still be alive.

Severus would hate me if he knew.

I was too old to play these games, and yet I was too far in this war to stop now. There was crucial information that I had that I couldn't share with anyone else. The only person I knew who could handle it was a Death Eater and could not be told for fear Tom would somehow extract it.

"Headmaster? Is something wrong?" There was a muggle saying: speak of the devil and the devil shall appear. Clearly it applied to thinking as well.

"Severus, my boy. I just came up here to think, that's all. I find the cold air delightfully head clearing after being cooped up all day."

"You seemed rather distressed."

"I'm fine." I hoped I would be. May whoever took Harry away from his relatives treat him better than they did. Please, keep quiet about having him too.

If Minister Fudge found out, he would use it for his own ends. He would do his best to ensure that he would be the one to rescue and return the boy to his rightful home, with the Minister, of course.

As much wrong as I had done to that poor boy, the least I could do was stop him from being a publicity stunt. I would much rather that he went to live with Lucius Malfoy than with the Minister.

"I was wondering if you could tell me who that young man was." I knew who he was referring to.

"I have no idea. Whoever he is, he felt the need for us not to know. I have a feeling he was using subterfuge for a good cause." And I would bet my favorite pair of socks that it was for Harry.

"I should think so. Well, at least he was trying to heal a child."

I began humming softly. Severus took this as a sign to leave and was gone with a swish of his cloak.

It struck me as ironic that Severus hated who he thought was James's son when it was actually his own. I secretly hoped Harry would end up in Slytherin. To everyone else, I was rooting for Gryffindor, but I wanted the boy to be with his father. After eleven years of not knowing each other, they would need to be together as much as possible.

They would also need to keep their relationship a secret. Very few would accept that a Death Eater had fathered the Boy-Who-Lived. What better way for them to be together than to have his father as his Head of House?

I turned my thoughts back to the events from this morning. The girl was extraordinarily beautiful and terrified Arabella. Could she be one of the very few half vampires I had heard whispers of? It seemed to be a possibility.

Something told me that I was right. I felt much better already, and this time it wasn't lemon drop induced happiness. Still humming to myself, I walked down the stairs and back to my office.

On my desk there was a missive from the Minister asking if Harry would be allowed to make an appearance at one of his functions.

Exactly why I didn't want him to know Harry was missing. I only hoped no one read the muggle papers and realized they were talking about Harry's relatives. At least if they did, I would be able to tell the truth when I told them I had no idea where he was.

Early the next morning the floo activated and Arabella Figg stepped out. "I thought you should read this." She handed me a newspaper.

The front page read:

_**Director of Grunnings and Wife Arrested**_

_The news that two prominent members of their community were arrested rocked through Little Whinging like the aftershocks of an earthquake, along with the revelation that Vernon and Petunia Dursley had a nephew who was living with them._

"_I had absolutely no idea they had a nephew," one neighbor was quoted to have said._

_A woman who lived next door told reporters that the boy was painted by the Dursleys as "the worst sort of boy imaginable" but had "never received a cross word out of him, and he was very polite and seemed so quiet and downtrodden" and that they "had no idea that the boy was even related to them."_

_No one suspected that along with their relation to the boy, the perfectly normal seeming couple hid a terrible secret. They were abusing and using their nephew in every possible way_.

_Around eight o'clock yesterday morning they were arrested on charges of severe child abuse and neglect._

_Mrs. Dursley was given care of her nephew after his parents were killed in a horrific car crash when he was just a little over a year old _

_It was discovered by the boy's godmother, one Elizabeth Masen, who promptly demanded custody of the boy and took him to live with her. Her home, as her lawyer described, is a secluded manor house where the boy will receive the best of every care available._

_Miss Masen's father is a doctor in America, who happened to be visiting at the time, and Miss Mason herself is a child psychiatrist. So the child is in very capable hands._

_There is no trial date yet, but Inspector Dupree, who made the arrests, said that it will be set as soon as possible. _

_Miss Masen provided all documents necessary so the victim will not need to appear in court. Also, the prosecution is offering no plea deals. They will receive the full penalty allowed by English courts._

_Miss Masen had collected her ward the night before, so no one was able to get any information about him. _

_As per English policy regarding minors, no name or picture has been released by the police. There is also no information about the boy allowed to be released by the media if any is discovered. Also no details as to exactly what kinds of charges are being pressed against these monsters._

_It is horrific to think of what that child suffered for eight years. Miss Mason will have a long road ahead of her helping this child recover._

I put down the paper. "I knew it was the same girl from yesterday morning and the night before that." I couldn't help but smile slightly.

"I feel so horrible that I never suspected they were behaving so cruelly towards him." Arabella was shaking her head back and forth sadly. "I never even dreamed that—"

"No. It is my fault for placing him with them. I had hoped that Petunia Dursley would treat him with at least a little kindness, but I can see now that I was wrong." I tapped my finger on the front page, "If questioned, I will say that Harry is in a secure location, and if the issue of abuse somehow manages to come up, I will say that he is well on the road to recovery. That should keep the Minister out." I grinned as a sudden spark of inspiration hit me. "You said something about an inhumanly beautiful girl."

"Yes."

"Well, that girl could have easily been a vampire, so I'll say he's being guarded by one of the most powerful and dangerous of them all."

"Wouldn't that make it harder on vampires?"

"Yes, if the Ministry finds out, they are likely to set more restrictions on them, but the only restriction they abide by is not hunting us. They have their own laws and ignore ours, so it shouldn't be much of a problem for them." I paused for a moment before continuing, "I have a feeling that wherever this girl has Harry, the Minister is not likely to find where she is keeping the boy."

Arabella nodded.

"Here. These are the deeds to your home and any papers that are needed for any reason. I trust you are ready to move?"

Arabella beamed. "Yes, sir."

"Very well. This little device will make your move much easier. Just hold onto it and it will move all of your things when you floo to your new home. A nifty contraption if I do say so myself. I hope you're happy in your new home."

"Thank you, sir." She took the trinket from me and I could have sworn there were tears in her eyes.

"No. Thank you, Arabella. You have provided invaluable information, these past few days particularly."

She smiled and flooed away.

I started humming again as I sorted through the rest of my mail. Masen was the name of the man who came the night before asking for potions. Even though it was not his real name, it was too close to the woman's last name to be coincidence. It pleased me to know that I had been correct about at least one facet of this whole affair.

If Harry had Severus's potions, he would be perfectly fine physically. As for mentally and emotionally, only time and patience on the part of his caretakers would tell.


	10. Almost a Part

**Elizabeth**

The progress with Harry was going slowly, if at all. He would eat only because I told him to, not because he was hungry. He would take a bath because I told him to. He slept where I told him to. He would do everything I told him to.

Sometimes, I wished he would just yell at me. But he didn't. He didn't even talk. The only time he ever used his voice was when he screamed from his nightmares. Afterward, he would curl up in a corner of the room and whisper, "Sorry," over and over again.

Once, after an extreme panic attack, I could have sworn I heard Harry using Parseltongue. That wasn't possible, was it? What if, along with a fragment of his soul, the Dark Lord transferred some of his powers to the boy? A quick search of his family history proved that he was a descendent of Slytherin, on his mother's side of all things, so being a Parseltongue was a distinct possibility.

Harry kept his gaze trained on the floor at all times. He would flinch whenever anyone approached him. I wanted to torture the Dursleys for what they had done to this boy. Only after they were literally begging for death would I happily oblige it. No child, hell, no one deserved to be treated the way they had treated him.

Maybe I was expecting too much after only a few days, but I had hoped a little that seeing he wasn't a freak would help him. Apparently, it hadn't really dawned on him yet that I was more of one than he was.

Unfortunately, one of the things I had inherited from my father was his temper. Whenever I felt it start to rise because I would see what that poor boy had to suffer, I had to walk away to keep from yelling or destroying something in front of him.

Harry would see me get angry and start to cower down even further than he already was. I wasn't angry at him, but if he saw me getting upset, he thought I was.

After one such episode, I knelt down beside him. "Harry, I'm not angry with you. You've done nothing to make me angry. If you see me getting angry, it's not at you. I'm partially angry at myself for my lack of patience and the rest at the Dursleys for what they did to you. If I was upset with you, then I would tell you."

Harry kept his head down and refused to look at me, so sighing, I left the room and went to look for a book to read, maybe something I could read out loud.

Hermione was eager to meet her new brother, but I kept her away from him for the first few days. I worried that her over-eagerness to make a friend would hurt more than help.

She ambushed me in the library, her chocolate eyes shining with eagerness. It made me feel bad about keeping her away from the world. But with a Death Eater for an "uncle" and a vampire hybrid Death Eater for a guardian, it wasn't such a good idea for her to go out. She liked to share everything she knew and might let it slip that the adults in her house had skulls with snakes coming out of their mouths tattooed on their left forearms. That would go over like oil in water, especially since everyone believed her to be a muggleborn.

"But it's been three days!" she complained. The poor girl was desperate for a friend.

"I've already told you why you can't meet him yet."

"I promise I'll be quiet and I won't touch him."

"No sudden movements either." I highly doubted she could keep her mouth shut for very long. The only friends she, had aside from Regulus and me, were her books, and that wasn't always a good thing.

"That too."

"All right, I'll see how he is, and if he's up too it, I'll let you meet him," I said, finally relenting. She needed friends, even broken friends I wasn't sure if I could repair.

Then, it occurred to me, what if she could succeed where I was obviously failing? A child his age might be able to relate to him on some level that I couldn't because I didn't fully understand the workings of a human child's mind. I would give it a shot. It just might work. It had to.

She smiled happily and nodded. As I went up the stairs, I could hear her bouncing slightly in her seat, then sneak up the stairs after me.

**Harry**

I wanted to trust her, I really did, but that's how it was at the Dursleys. I learned to trust and they would throw it back in my face. That made everything hurt so much more.

The thing was, she wouldn't yell at me or hit me if I didn't do what she wanted to do. She would get angry, but would walk away.

If it had been Uncle Vernon, he would have taken the closest thing he could get his hands on and beat me with it. But she never raised her hand to hit me, ever. It seemed that nothing I did could make her.

I disappointed her over and over again. I could get nothing right, no matter how hard I tried. I was just a worthless, miserable freak who deserved nothing. I didn't deserve love or family. My own parents had died because of my freakishness, that's what Aunt Petunia told me.

I wanted to be hugged. I wanted someone to wrap their arms around me and tell me that they loved me. I wanted someone to tuck me in and read me a story.

The angel did tuck me in, but she never read me a story. I wanted to ask her to, but I had already cost her so much time and money; if I asked, she may realize that and make me start to pay her back.

"Harry?" It was the angel. "There's a girl who lives here. She's just about your age, and she wants to meet you. Would that be okay with you? She's hoping you'll want to be her friend."

She was asking me if I wanted a friend. I was scared and happy at the same time. If it was a girl, maybe she wouldn't beat me up like Dudley and his friends did. If she did, the angel might stop her.

Mentally, I scolded myself. I was beginning to trust the angel. This was not good.

The angel wanted an answer, so I nodded.

"Good. Hermione, I know you're hiding behind that drape. Come on out and meet your brother."

Brother? I was a part of the family?

**Hermione**

I was so excited and nervous at the same time. I was going to meet someone who had been treated so horribly, they would suffer for it the rest of their lives.

I wanted to see him smile. Elizabeth told me he never smiled. He didn't even talk! How could someone not talk!

It reminded me of that dog Reg and I had found a few years back. It had been abused and always had its tail stuck between its legs. But all we had to do was feed him, pet him, and show him that we wouldn't hurt him. Reginald kept the dog as far away from Elizabeth as possible, or it would run away—it was funny that the animals feared vampires more than the humans which were the vampires' natural prey. I shook my head and brought my thoughts back to what I had been thinking about before I got sidetracked.

Would Harry be like that? I didn't want him to be sad and hurt.

I felt guilty when Elizabeth caught me behind the drape. She hadn't said I had to stay downstairs, but I knew she wanted me to.

Slowly, I walked into Elizabeth's room.

A boy who looked like he was five or six stood in the middle of the room staring at the floor.

"Hi, Harry, you and I are going to be best friends. I just know it." I smiled at him.

He looked up at me and looked back down at the floor.

"Would you like Elizabeth to read to us? She does that sometimes. You're a wizard, you know, and I'm a witch. Reg is a wizard too. Elizabeth is a half vampire. Don't worry; Elizabeth won't suck your blood. She only drinks animal blood. She's a witch too.

"You know I've lived here ever since a mean man killed my parents. Elizabeth stopped him from killing me. So you aren't the only one she's taken in. She even took in Reginald.

"He's really nice and tells me scary stories about Voldemort. Voldemort is the name of the bad man who killed your parents. Did you know you're the only one to survive the Killing Curse? I didn't until Reg told me. Reg is what I call Reginald."

"Hermione, I think you're overwhelming him," Elizabeth cut in, making me realize I was telling him everything I knew just like she told me not to do. It's just that I never had a friend my own age before.

"Will you read to us?" I begged.

"What story?"

"'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot!'" I ran to my bookshelf and pulled down _The Tales of Beedle the Bard._ "Then—"

"So, all but 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart?'"

I nodded excitedly.

Elizabeth sank gracefully to the floor, and I dragged Harry and we sat in front of her. He seemed reluctant to follow me, but he complied.

"There was once a kindly old wizard..." Elizabeth started reading. Reg made fun of me for reading that book so much, but I liked it.

About halfway through the book, I glanced over at Harry and found he was listening intently to the stories.

I smiled to myself. He would be happy. I would make it my personal mission to see to it that he was.

**Harry**

The angel's name was Elizabeth. My new sister's name was Hermione. There was another person, someone named Reginald. I guessed he was the man I had seen my first night here. He stayed away from me though.

From what she said, Elizabeth had taken in the two other people who lived here before me. It made me feel less awkward knowing that the others were not her real family either.

She was reading stories about hopping pots and witches who turned into animals. It made me feel almost normal, sitting there on the floor listening to fantastic stories. The only stories I ever read were bits and pieces of Dudley's books he throw away. I had never been able to finish them except in my mind.

Hermione would cut in during the stories and tell everything she knew about that particular tale. Apparently, she didn't have any friends because Elizabeth and Reginald were thought to be bad people, but they really weren't. It was nice to listen to her chatter and Elizabeth's stories. Hearing Elizabeth's beautiful voice flow like music made me forget for a little while what had happened to me. She even changed her voice for the different characters.

Reginald came in wondering where Hermione was and took over the role of men's voices. It turned out that Reginald usually read a story from this book to Hermione before bedtime, and he was surprised when she didn't come charging into his room demanding that he read it. It was tradition they had kept even after she had learned to read.

Reginald didn't come very close to me and never reached towards me.

I had thought that all men were like Uncle Vernon and his friends, but Reginald was nothing like him. Instead of loud, Reginald was rather soft-spoken. Where Uncle Vernon's face was hard, Reginald's was gentle, but looked like he had seen too much in his life. As cruel as Uncle Vernon was, Reginald—according to Hermione—was as kind.

I wanted so badly to be a part of this family. Elizabeth had told me she was my guardian now, so no one could take me away.

This was paradise. No one beat me, which was strange. I received food, and it made me a little sick because I was not used to eating, but Elizabeth gave me some medicine mixed in with some drink that made me keep my food down. Elizabeth said that as soon as I could sleep through the night without any nightmares or sleeping potions, which were nasty, but they helped me, I would have a room all my own. Even the couch I had now was more than the Dursleys had ever given me. It was so soft, and I was warm at night. And the blankets were perfect to hide in if I was scared. When would she realize I was just a worthless freak?

I wrapped my arms around myself and curled up.

"Harry." Elizabeth was kneeling in front of me. Her fingers pried my arms from around myself. "You're not worthless, and you are most definitely not a freak.

"If you want to know who the real freak is, look at me. I'm half vampire, half human witch. No one like me has ever existed before. Sure, there are other vampire hybrids, but I'm the only one who's a witch. Now, would you call me a freak?"

I shook my head slowly. Who would call her a freak? She was so beautiful and kind.

"Your aunt and uncle—No, I won't do you the dishonor of having to be associated with them. You're too good for the likes of them. The Dursleys would call me a freak. They would call Hermione and Reginald freaks. If we had to live with them, they would treat us the same way they treated you. Or they would try to treat me that way. I wouldn't let them get by with it. You're not weak, Harry, I'm just a hell of a lot stronger than that walrus Dursley." She wrapped her arms around me and began to rub my arm.

I tried to push her away, but she refused to let go. So, I gave up and sagged against her—she was really, _really_ warm. It felt sort of nice to have someone there to lean on. All my wishes were coming true, except for my dad.

Hermione broke through with, "Can I take over the women's voices?"

I guessed Elizabeth nodded, because Hermione sat in Reginald's lap and they continued with their tales. Elizabeth held me close to her warm body, very carefully so she didn't press too hard on my cuts.

After the other two left, Elizabeth slowly pulled my shirt of my back. "I'm going to put something on your back so it will heal better." Her hands were gentle, and whatever she was putting on me felt good. I had seen Aunt Petunia touch Dudley like this whenever he got hurt. Was this what it felt like to have a mother? I hoped so.

"Do you know why your father never came?"

I nodded slowly. It was because I was too much of a freak for him to want me.

"It's because he never knew you were his son. If he had known, he would have given the Dursleys a much more fitting punishment then they received. He can be a very hard man, but he would never raise a hand to hit you. The worst thing he'll make you do is scrub cauldrons."

I didn't believe her. My father thought I was a freak too, that's why he never came to rescue me.

"He never received that letter. Your mother died before she could send it."

I looked at her straight in the eyes for the first time. How dare she lie to me!

"Harry, I am not lying to you. I promise to never lie to you. I may withhold certain truths for your own good, but I will never lie to you."

After the lights went out, I lay thinking about what she had told me. The reason my daddy didn't come was because he thought I wasn't his son. Tears leaked from my eyes, and I fell asleep dreaming of a nameless man who was constantly walking away from me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't catch him.

Someone whispered, "Shh, I'll bring him to you," and my dream no longer was dark or scary. I was floating on my back in a lake watching the clouds float overhead.

**Elizabeth**

After Harry went to sleep I sat on the floor in front of the fire, watching the flames dance. Usually this was calming, and helped slow my thoughts down before going to bed, but it wasn't tonight. My mind was far from peaceful. Was I doing the right thing by keeping Severus away from his son? Would Harry be better off with his father around? Could that perhaps be the answer to helping him heal?

"Daddy, please. Don't leave me," Harry was whimpering. "I'm sorry, I'll be good. Please. Stay. Come back. Daddy!" His cry tore at my heart, and his little body writhed, causing the blankets to twist around him.

I knelt beside the boy's makeshift bed and brushed his hair out of his sweaty face. Reaching into his mind so he would hear me in his dreams, I whispered, "Shh, I'll bring him back to you." Harry relaxed, and he became calm as I inserted a new dream into his mind.

It was then that I knew that I had made a mistake in not telling Severus about his son.

As I watched Harry, I knew what I had to do to rectify the situation. I slipped the letter out of Harry's grasp and left the room to pen another letter. This child needed his father, and who was I to deny him?

"Soledad, I need you to do something for me." I stroked the only animal that would come close to me, my pet falcon.

She looked at me and cocked her head.

"I know you're not an owl, but I need you to take a message to someone. It's very important that you do so."

Soledad nipped my fingers in an affectionate manner.

"Here you go." I slipped the letter into a small pouch on her leg that was specially crafted to enable her to carry letters. "Good luck my friend."

I watched her fly away and thought about how she had come into my life.

(_flashback two years earlier)_

_I was looking for a Christmas gift for Regulus and had decided to try a rare animal breeder. _

_As I passed a stand that held the most beautiful bird I'd ever seen, it cried out and tried to fly to me._

_The owner looked at me and then at the bird._

_"What's wrong with it?" I asked, worried that my presence had upset the creature more than usual._

_"These birds choose their masters. She has chosen you." The man took off her tether and handed her to me. "She's yours." After we settled on a price, the man said, "She'll do anything you ask and remain loyal only to you."_

_I ended up purchasing a black cat with blue eyes for Regulus, a sort of a play on his last name and left with one more animal than I'd originally been planning on._

Ever since then she had been my faithful companion, doing everything I required of her, which wasn't much except listen to me talk about my personal problems that not even Regulus would understand.


	11. Letters

**Severus**

When a white peregrine falcon with blue and purple wing feathers swooped down and landed beside my plate, most of the students stared at me in blatant shock.

Whispers broke out as they gossiped about who could be sending the "greasy bat of the dungeons" a letter. Most seemed to be of the opinion it was from Deatheaters. But I doubted they would send me any missives with a bird as noticeable as that one.

The Slytherins were the only ones who retained any composer. They were probably assuming that it was from one of my correspondences with Potions Masters around the world.

In fact, one of the only people who would want people to remember his bird was Gilderoy Lockhart. But with all his success, even he couldn't purchase a bird like that one. The sellers were very choosey as to who they sold these rare birds to.

As soon as I took the letter, the bird flew away with a sharp cry as if it had completed a task of greatest difficulty.

Inside the envelope, was a note written in an elegant script that I didn't recognize.

_Do not open the letter enclosed until you are alone and seated, preferably with a bottle of Firewhiskey on hand. I would also recommend that you wait until tonight as this is the last day of school before break and there will be no dunderheads to irritate your foul mood in the morning._

_What the hell? Who sent me this?_ I glared at the students, but none of them seemed to be guilty. Well, there was only one thing to do: wait. I had classes to prepare for and no time to read whatever it was in this letter.

The one thing that did seem strange was instead of an owl, it was a falcon. No one I knew used those birds. Not even Lucius used one like that—though he did own a black version of the bird, a gift from Narcissa. But that bird was a pet. This one apparently was too by the way it reacted when I took the letter.

I glanced over at Albus, but he was stirring his tea and humming some bloody tune as usual.

I knew he could probably guess what the letter contained. When he caught my gaze, he smiled and picked at the sleeve of his bright purple robe for specks that weren't there. He was hiding something else from me.

Great, now he knew _this_ before I did. What else did that confounded man know about me that I didn't?

I slipped the note back into its envelope and continued eating, proof to those dunderheaded Gryffindors that I wasn't a vampire, contrary to popular opinion.

During the course of the morning, no fewer than seven students blew up their cauldrons—two Hufflepuffs, five Gryffindors, but who can blame the Puffs? They are generally so gentle and mild that a mere scowl could send some of them into hysterics.

Hufflepuff lost ten points all together along with a chance to make it over with full points each returned to their Houses if the second potion was acceptable.

I was angry at Gryffindor, ten each with an automatic fail plus detention when they got back from their holiday—I would be sure to make it something really disgusting for those little dunderheads to work on, like degutting flobberworms or cleaning my oldest, filthiest cauldrons.

That thought made me feel a little better, though McGonagall was going to demand why I punished her lions so severely once she caught wind of the incident.

By the time lunch rolled around, it had spread amongst the students that I was in an especially foul mood. Some—by that I mean the Gryffindors—thought it was because I had been denied the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. True, I did fancy that position, but I loved my potions too much to give it up right now, especially since no teacher ever lasted more than one term in that position.

"Why is my House down fifty points in one morning?" McGonagall was, as predicted, angry.

"They blew up their cauldrons." That was the truth. One of them had dropped some fireworks into the others' cauldrons and the victims had repaid him.

"But from what I heard Hufflepuff exploded two."

"Yes, because they added the wrong ingredients at the wrong time, unlike Gryffindor who decided the class needed a fireworks display."

She seemed a little mollified by this explanation even though she thought the punishment was a little harsh. I turned back to my plate and scowled at it.

What could be so bloody important that I couldn't read with other people around? Whatever it was, it had better be worth the time I had spent worrying about it.

The afternoon classes were no better. In fact they were worse. People were blowing up cauldrons and making wriggling slime all day. None of them could get anything right. Even Slytherins were making stupid mistakes.

Finally, I gave up and had them all write essays over why their potions were a complete disaster.

I made a quick appearance at dinner, and then I secluded myself in my quarters. After finding a bottle of Firewhiskey I had taken from a couple of sixth years but had never disposed of, I opened the mysterious letter.

Inside the second envelope was a bloodstained letter. Hesitantly, I opened it. The handwriting was terrifyingly familiar. How many times had I watched her do her homework or read her silly notes? I knew it like I knew my own. It was my Lily's. Only she wasn't mine.

_My Dearest Sev,_

_I don't know how to tell you this, but I'll do my best. If you hadn't been so bent on joining the Deatheaters, I would have told you sooner. _

_Now, I can see that my decision for silence drove you farther away. It's too late to bemoan the past._

_You remember, I'm sure, that night our seventh year? Well, I became pregnant. It wouldn't be wise for a Death Eater to be found to have fathered a child with a Mudblood. It could mean death for all involved, including you._

_I went to Madam Pomfrey and she found a potion that would lengthen the pregnancy for up to a year. Professor Dumbledore enlisted James' help to keep anyone from knowing. James was never told who the father was, just that I had become pregnant and that the encounter wasn't forced._

_James and I were married as soon as possible because the potion was starting to wear off. We were never more than friends. We could hardly bear to touch each other without cringing, but for the sake of appearances and the safety of all involved, we played our charade. _

_James told me a few months back that he had a daughter he could not see until Voldemort falls. He didn't tell me who the mother was, but I know he loves her. It kills him to be apart from them. I think that's why he treats Harry as his son. He's giving him all the attention he can't give his daughter. He has a picture of her that I found him crying over more than once. _

_When you receive this letter, I will probably be dead. I have a feeling we will be betrayed and not by who you think. If I die, look into it. I can't tell you more, but who you think is guilty, is not._

_Love our son for me, Severus Snape, please. Give him the love I won't be able to. _

_People think he looks like James, but I know the truth. He looks like you with my nose, eyes, and hair texture._

_All my love,_

_Lily_

I slipped the letter in my robes, unable to do anything else until I had fully processed what I had read.

The first thing I felt was anger that she called herself mudblood. The one time I had called her that, it had torn my heart out when I had realized what I had said.

Then anger at everyone who knew, but didn't tell me. If I had known of my son, he would never have had to endure what he did.

Realization hit me. Lily probably made them take an Unbreakable Vow, or something along those lines. She had wanted to tell me herself, but couldn't

Finally shock. Harry was my son! The boy I had betrayed to the Dark Lord was mine. The Boy-Who-Lived was not Harry Potter, but Harry Snape. If I didn't fear for Harry's life, I would find whatever remained of the Dark Lord and parade it in his face that _my_ son had been the one to take him down.

There was also relief. Lily didn't love James. From what it sounded like, I was the only man she was ever with intimately.

I never would have thought that I would feel any feeling aside from anger for James Bloody Potter. Now, here I was feeling sympathy for him. He had a daughter, but had been unable to see her because of the sacrifice he made for Lily and for my son and then had died before he got to make things right.

I had to go to Harry! Where was he? Albus said that he had been taken from his relatives and he didn't know where he was any longer.

Before I could make any plans to find him, another sheet of paper caught my eyes. It was written in the same hand as the note I had read at breakfast that morning.

_Severus,_

_From what I have heard I know you like people to be straight to the point, so I will do my best. _

_You don't know me, and I don't know you. The only thing we have in common is a little boy named Harry. _

_I found him being abused by his worse-than-the-Dark-Lord relatives and took him away. You are probably aware of it as a friend of mine, who probably introduced himself as my uncle, Reginald Masen—in case the fool's excuse of a Minister asked any questions—came to you for potions to heal him. He is not healing as well as I would like, but that is simply due to the strain his body has endured._

_He was abused in every way. Physically, verbally, emotionally, sexually. Those bastards made him serve them like a house elf from a very early age. He believes he has no right to the basic necessities. He was practically starving to death, but I've been able to coax a little food into him at a time. Bathing is another story all together. I have to hold him in the water with one hand and wash him with the other. I would have Reginald help me, but the child is terrified of men. Practically every inch of his skin was riddled with cuts, gashes, and burns, both fresh and scarred. They even branded him, but I managed to erase those scars._

_It is not so much the physical abuse that I am worried about. That can easily be dealt with, with potions, balms, and creams. He is already starting to look better as I write this._

_What I am worried about is his emotional well being. He trusts no one. He has barely said a word except begging me not to give him to Reg. He only eats because I tell him to. He flinches whenever anyone touches him. I am half vampire so he can't fight me because of my strength—you don't have to worry about that though; I have only tasted human blood as a child._

_He knows you are his father as I found this letter in his cupboard. Yes, those filthy muggles kept him in conditions even a house elf would be ashamed to call home. It appears he read it after the beatings were the worst, hoping that by reading it, it would bring him a little closer to you._

_He believes you hate him and think he is a freak, stupid, and a burden. Those barbaric muggles drilled it into his head for God knows how long. Though, I don't believe they knew about Lily's letter._

_I think if you came to him, talked to him, at least gave an effort to get to know him, it may speed his healing along._

_By the way, I think Lily intended to tell you about Harry in any way possible. How he got the letter, I don't know. My guess is that she slipped it into one of his blankets hoping someone would look through them carefully. Harry apparently did, and that's how he got a hold of it._

_Don't worry about the muggles. They have gone to prison, and I made sure to blacken their name really well. The story was in the muggle paper. I was careful to leave details out as to what exactly was done as well as Harry's name._

_Elizabeth Masen_

_P.S. Should you decide to come tap the parchment three times and say, "Wainwright." It will go through the wards of Hogwarts._

I stared at the paper for a long moment, and then poured myself a shot of Firewhiskey.

After I had downed three shots and before I could change my mind, I grabbed my wand and tapped the parchment three times and said, "Wainwright." The familiar tugging at my navel whisked me out of my office.

I found myself in a foyer that would make even the Malfoys' opulent vestibule pale slightly in comparison.

"You must be Severus Snape," a low woman's voice spoke from the shadows before I could fully appreciate the magnificence of the place where I was.

I turned to find the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life standing in front of me. She couldn't be much more than five feet tall. Her black hair was short in the back and a little longer on the front right side with a chunk of hot pink about an inch from her forehead. Her eyes were green like Lily's, but more haunted, like she had seen too much of hell. Her lips were a full Cupid's bow and red as blood. All this was set in a perfect heart shaped face.

She was dressed all in black. Black shirt with a skull on the front, black jeans, and black three inch heel boots with silver buckles and heels. So she was even shorter than I had first thought. Her left arm was covered with a black fingerless glove that went to her elbow.

There was a warning in the back of my head that told me this woman was dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous person I had ever met. "I think it would be safe to presume you are Elizabeth Masen."

"You would be correct. Before you meet your son, you must commit to being a part of his life permanently. If you meet him tonight and never see him again, it will only serve to cement his beliefs about himself even further. I know you are a spy for Dumbledore, but we can work this out so you can see him and no one will know."

"How do you know that?" No one was supposed to know that! If others found out, it would be my death.

"Don't worry, I won't tell. Now about what I was saying about your son. Do you understand what I want from you?"

"I understand. I want to meet my son. He is all I have left of her."

She nodded. "Follow me."

So, Wainwright Manor was real. It was even more beautiful than the legends made it out to be. How did she come in possession of it? She didn't seem to be the type to divulge all of her secrets, so I doubted she would tell me.

My thoughts became focused on what I had learned tonight. It was nearly impossible to believe the plan they had pulled off. The masterminds should have been in Slytherin as cunningly as it was put together.

"I should warn you. I have another ward: a girl by the name of Hermione. She's a witch whose muggle parents were killed by Grayback before the Dark Lord fell. She has had no friends aside from Reg and me and her books for eight years, so she'll talk your ears off if you let her. Right now, though, she seems to be the best thing for him. It makes him realize he's not the only person I've taken in."

"You're not hoping they get married one day are you?" Arranged marriage didn't seem to be the best idea to help Harry heal.

"No. They both have different futures. I've seen it." She tapped her temple and smiled.

Great another Trelawney. That blasted woman predicted someone's death every year. I tried not to think of the one death she predicted that I helped along.

"Don't worry. I don't use tea leaves or anything like that. I focus on the future and I can See the outcome of a particular decision." She smirked at what must have been shock on my face at her really being clairvoyant.

She continued, "I have Seen that Harry will recover, but I need you to help me help him." At a door, she turned to face me. "I can't leave him alone with you. You understand that right? Not until he learns he can trust you."

I nodded. I was a man and the majority of his injuries were inflicted on him by men. I hated Vernon Dursley even more now.

We finally made it to what appeared to be a massive bedroom that was about the size of my entire flat at Spinner's End.

A small, black haired boy sat curled up on a chaise with a thick quilt wrapped tightly around him. A girl with a mess of brown hair who looked to be about eight or nine sat on the floor at his feet reading a very thick book silently. A fire blazed behind them in a huge fireplace making the room nice and warm.

"Harry sleeps in my room until I feel he is able to sleep alone," she whispered to me. Aloud, she said, "Hermione, why don't you go find Reg and talk about what you've been reading?"

The little girl seemed to understand that Elizabeth wanted to give us what privacy she could, so she stood up and left the room with a curious glance at me.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet your father. I sent him a letter to him this morning telling him a little about you, and he decided that he wanted to be your father now that he knows that you're his son."

The little boy looked up. His eyes were Lily's but sad and troubled. There was also a look of terrible apprehension on his face. It broke my heart to see my son so sad.

"Hello, Harry."


	12. First Meeting

**AN: Warning, flashback Lily/Sev smut**

**Harry**

When Elizabeth told me my father had come to see me, I refused to believe her.

My father would not lower himself to come to see a freak. He had never come before. He had left me with the Dursleys. He hadn't cared about me.

Elizabeth had been the one who had rescued me. She had been the first one to show me any kindness. It was Elizabeth who was taking care of me now. Elizabeth's patchwork family was the one to take me in. Elizabeth was the first person to care about me.

Why did I need him? He was never there for me before, so why should I want him now?

It didn't make sense for him to come now.

I looked up and there was a man wearing black robes with shoulder length hair as dark as his clothes. He seemed nervous about something.

"Hello, Harry." His voice was a silky baritone. It was nothing like the voice I had imagined him to have.

He walked slowly toward me and knelt in front of me. One long, slender hand reached out and brushed my hair out of my face. I flinched away from him. Unshed ears were in his eyes. "If I had known that you were my son, you would never have had to live a moment with the Dursleys."

I didn't want to believe him. I didn't want to see the sincerity in them. I didn't want to hope. So I looked down at my hands. His long, pale hands enclosed them.

His hands were calloused slightly, but didn't feel rough like Uncle Vernon's hands. There was something graceful about the way he moved them, like a dancer I had seen on the Dursleys' TV or someone who was used to making complicated movements.

I glanced over at Elizabeth. She was seated in a corner reading something. Good, she was still in the room. As long as she was around, I knew I didn't have to fear the man.

I was beginning to trust her, and that wasn't a good thing. Trust only led to more pain when that trust was betrayed.

I studied the man through my lashes. He was very pale, with black eyes. His nose was rather large, but it didn't really look out of place on his face. He looked like he had had a lot of bad things happen to him and to people around him.

He too looked over at Elizabeth, but he looked like he was asking her something silently. She nodded slightly, and the man sat on the couch beside me.

"Elizabeth told me your mother left a letter saying I was your father. I never saw that letter until today." He stopped talking and swallowed sharply. "I, like the rest of the Wizarding world, believed you were well taken care of and happy. I-" he closed his eyes and shook his head. His eyebrows were drawn together.

He was sad that I had not been happy. Did my father really care about me? I felt myself slowly daring to hope. No! I couldn't hope! Hope only led to worse pain. I did my best to squash any hope.

He wrapped his arms around me. I stiffened, but he did nothing but hold me. His touch was gentle. He smelled of things I didn't recognize. It wasn't unpleasant, and it smelled nothing like Uncle Vernon and his friends. There was something safe about his embrace. It was as though I could feel this man wasn't going to hurt me. One hand was brushing my hair and the other was rubbing my back.

His face was buried in my hair. I knew he was crying because his shoulders were shaking slightly and I could feel tears falling from his eyes.

"My poor boy. Those people had no right to do those things to you. You deserve to be happy, to play like other children," he whispered.

I wanted to believe him; I really did. It was just hard after so many years of being told that I didn't deserve to live to think any different.

My daddy loves me?

"Truly, Harry, I do."

It shocked me when he spoke. Had I said that out loud? I thought I'd only said it in my head! I clapped my hand to my mouth.

Daddy's long fingers pried my fingers away from my face, "You did nothing wrong." He studied my face for a few moments, "Harry, I want you to do something for me. I want you to forget all the things the Dursleys ever said to you. I also want you to never think of them as your family. You are never to call them aunt and uncle again. I know it will be difficult at first because they are all you've known until now. Can you do that for me?"

I nodded my head slowly. What would happen if I did by accident?

"I won't get angry if you mess up sometimes, but I think it would be easiest for all involved if you did that. I just want you to know, I'm your family now, and I would never do anything to hurt you if I can at all help it."

His hand was gentle on my hair. We sat like that for a long while saying nothing. His hand was still brushing through my hair.

"Would you like for me to tell you about your mother?" He was asking me if I wanted him to do something!

I nodded hesitantly.

"She was the most amazing woman I ever met. Kind, gentle, beautiful. I fell in love with her the first time I saw her which was when I was about your age. She was my first friend and for many years my only friend.

"You have her eyes, you know. And her hair texture too. As well as her nose. Thankfully you didn't inherit my features in that regard. You would have been miserable with them…"

I fell asleep against my daddy's chest, listening to him tell stories about my mother. For once, I felt well, not happy, but deeply and truly content.

**Severus**

My son lay in my arms, sleeping peacefully. It was still hard to come to terms with the fact that Lily had borne me a child.

"You know, this is the first time he had been able to go to sleep without the aid of potions." Elizabeth crossed the floor with a small stack of clothes in one hand, which she handed to me. "Thought he might sleep better if he were dressed in some night clothes."

Together we dressed the little boy in my arms. I could see his ribs sticking sharply out of his emaciated frame, and it made me sick.

"Kinda like a punch in the gut, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Seeing him like this. I'm glad I waited to tell you about him until the majority of his injuries were healed."

Bile rose in my throat. "I take it you didn't tell me everything then, did you?"

"Not the worst of it, no, but I think you can figure out what happened to him."

Reginald Masen had come asking for certain potions and Elizabeth had mentioned some of the ways he was abused. It wasn't much of a leap to figure out exactly what had happened to my son.

Anger shot through me, and I wanted to kill those monsters who dared raise so much as a finger to hurt my son.

I tucked Harry in, using my cloak to cover his body under the blankets. He burrowed in deeper under them with just the slightest hint of a smile on his face as he pulled my cloak closer to him.

"How are we going to work this out? I'm supposed to be a Death Eater, not father to the Boy-Who-Lived!"

"So am I. People just don't know about me." So that explained why she covered up her left arm. She was silent for a few moments, apparently thinking of a solution to the problem presented by my son's and my unique situation.

After Harry was settled in for the night, she spoke again, "You have the holiday coming up. Explain to the Headmaster about your situation, most of which I'm certain he's aware of. You _are_ getting to know your son and all. I'm sure he'll give you time to do so. As for the other times, you can keep in contact him via owl. I'm sure he would like that. Maybe the weekends you can get away can be spent here. Then you have a break in the spring as well as summer vacation."

"That would work."

"What about Lily's letter? From what I could tell, he was really attached to it."

"I'll copy it and take the original. He won't know any different. It may sound silly, but I want something that Lily touched."

"That's understandable."

A quick wave of my wand and there were two letters. Pocketing the original, I tucked the other one under Harry's hand. I searched my pockets for something that would tell him I was coming back. I realized I had nothing.

"If you'd like to leave him a note, you may use this." A small table floated over to me with a parchment, ink, and quill.

_My Dear Son,_

_I had to return to my work, but I will return as soon as possible. There are some matters I have to clear up so I can make a schedule as to when I can visit you without putting too much strain on my colleagues. _

_I am trying to avoid suspicion because there are people who might want to hurt you. It is not an excuse, it is the honest truth. I'll explain more when I see you tomorrow._

_I love you. I couldn't be more proud to have you as a son. You are an amazing boy._

_Your father,_

_Severus Snape_

"I have to return to Hogwarts. I'll be back tomorrow before noon." I tried to untangle my cloak from my son's sleeping grasp. He whimpered softly and clung to it tighter. "I'll leave it with him."

"It seems to make him sleep better."

"Good night, Miss Mason."

"Here's a portkey. Tap it with your wand three times and say either, 'Wainwright,' or 'Hogwarts,' depending on where you are going." She handed me a silver ring with snakes carved on the sides. An emerald the size of my thumbnail was set in the middle. Very fitting for the Head of Slytherin House.

"Thank you."

"No need for thanks. These are my teardrops."

"Excuse me?"

"Proof I live." She pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut for a few moments, "True, I can cry, but I want my life to count for something other than existing."

"Oh." This girl was one odd vampire.

I took the portkey and tapped it three times, "Hogwarts." The tug at my navel deposited me in my office.

I fell onto the couch and buried my face in my hands. I had a son with Lily Evans. The woman I loved had carried my child.

Tears streamed down my face as I thought of all I had missed. I had missed out on her discovering the baby, of feeling my child kick beneath my hand, of wrapping my arms around her growing belly, of holding him moments after he was born, of him learning to walk, his first words, so many things I would never get back.

I remembered the night he was conceived perfectly well. I used the first part of the memory when I cast a Patronus Charm.

_(flashback)_

_I was walking alone in the darkest most deserted part of the castle with my head down, not really looking where I was going. _

_My heart ached for Lily. It had been two years since we had last spoken. I missed her laugh, her smile, her understanding eyes as I spoke of my family, her gentle touch against my face as she consoled me._

_Now, all she saw when she looked at me was a Death Eater wannabe who hung out with Lucius Malfoy. She didn't understand the situation with him. Lucius needed someone to have his back. I helped him protect Narcissa from any threats. To do that, I needed to be a Death Eater. _

_I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't realize I wasn't alone until I ran right into a soft body. The scent, I recognized immediately: Lily. There was another smell. She had been drinking some. Not enough to get her drunk, just enough to where some of her guards would be down._

"_Hello, Sev."_

_It shocked me that she called me by her childhood nickname for me. It took a few seconds longer than it should have to work my voice. "Lily."_

_She pressed herself against me and ran her fingers through my hair. Her lower lip was caught between her teeth. She seemed to be contemplating something. Pulling my face down to hers, she started kissing me. _

_I stood stunned for a few brief seconds. When she started to pull away thinking I didn't want to kiss her, I fisted her hair, and our lips moved together._

_Grabbing my shoulders, she hoisted herself up and wrapped her legs around my waist. She delved her tongue into my mouth._

_I couldn't help but moan. She tasted fantastic. Like mint and strawberries and a little Firewhiskey. _

_I pressed her up against the nearest wall and began to grind into her softly. She whimpered and ground back, only harder than I did. The friction turned me on to the point my pants were painfully tight._

_Her hands started undoing the buttons on my shirt._

"_We'll get caught," I whispered when she pulled away to explore my chest with her hands._

"_No we won't, I'm the one patrolling this part of the castle. You are the only person I've ever seen come down here in all the times I've patrolled here. Except for Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black, but I don't really count that because he's not a student." She was now standing on her own feet pulling me to the floor._

"_The floor's a little cold and hard."_

"_Don't you want this? I'm not amazing at Charms for nothing." She giggled as she grabbed her wand and muttered an incantation. "Now, where were we?" Lily pulled me down to the floor that was no longer hard or cold._

_This time I allowed her to pull off my shirt. She was above me kissing her way down my chest. She sucked my nipples lightly then trailed lower. Her tongue trailed around my navel then dipped lower to the trail of hair that disappeared under my pants. If she went any lower, I would lose it right then._

_I sat up and started pulling off her shirt. _

_It was a heady experience realizing that in this moment, Lily wanted me as much as I wanted her._

_She was wearing a green bra, Slytherin green. I smiled slightly and briefly wondered if her knickers matched. The thought made my already throbbing erection almost unbearable. _

_Lily reached around her back and unhooked it. Her plump breasts caught my full attention as soon as they were free. I caught one dusky nipple between my lips. She moaned as I kissed and sucked it. My hand caressed and pinched the other nipple until it too was pebbled. With one final kiss to the nipple I'd had in my mouth, I switched breasts._

_She was positively arching against me moaning my name._

_Her hands found their way to my bulging pants and unbuttoned them._

"_I want you, Sev, now."_

_Our clothes fell away with a quickly muttered spell Lucius had told me about. She giggled softly when she found herself completely naked._

_We made love a little clumsily, as we were both virgins, but it was still amazing. I followed Lucius's advice and made sure Lily climaxed even though it had to have been the hardest thing I had ever done._

_She was so warm, so tight; I almost came as soon as I entered her. The only thing that stopped me was her soft cry of pain. _

_When she said I could move I did my best to follow Lucius's advice on finding a rhythm. _

_After it was over we lay together for a few moments._

"_You know that this can't really happen again." Lily was gazing sadly at something. _

_I followed her line of sight. She was staring at my Dark Mark. One slender finger reached out and traced the unblemished skin around it._

"_Why not?"_

"_You're a Death Eater now. I'm still a mudblood." She had pulled on her knickers which did indeed match her bra._

"_Don't call yourself that." I pulled on my pants and stood up._

"_You did." We were both still naked from the waist up._

_I pulled her against my chest and kissed her deeply. "And I apologized for it."_

"_I know. I accept your apology." There was a sad smile on her face. "I only wish it wasn't too late."_

_We had finished dressing by the time she spoke again. "Just so you know, I'll never regret tonight. No matter what."_

_With one last kiss to my cheek, she walked away, leaving me alone in the dark corridor. _

_How long I stood there, I didn't know. A hand on my shoulder startled me. I turned to find Lucius looking at me._

"_I'm sorry I am causing you so much pain."_

"_Don't be. Once the war's over, I'll find her. Unlike you, I won't meet an early death if I'm not with the woman I love."_

"_Not physically."_

"_What do you mean?" _

"_The look on your face. You're dying inside, seeing her walk away like that."_

"_How much did you see?" I would die of embarrassment if Lucius saw us._

"_I didn't see anything, but I could hear you two, so I knew better than to come down here so I wouldn't see anything. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you were shagging the lioness." He smirked slightly, and then his expression became almost pensive "At least you have that to think about when the Dark Lord makes you commit atrocities."_

"_I know. I also have her forgiveness for calling her that repulsive name."_

"_That's good." He nodded once, "Make sure to keep your Occlumency Shields up." Then, turning on his heel, went his own way_

I'd been alone in that dark corridor, figuratively speaking, ever since. Until tonight. My son, my poor broken son, had led me to a much lighter area. There were still shadows, but there can't be light without them.

I fell asleep, dreaming of what my life would be like now that I had a son.


	13. Daddy and Me

**Harry**

I woke up the next morning and looked around for my father. He wasn't there. I knew it was too good to be true.

My breath started coming in gasps, and a hole started ripping its way through my chest. My daddy had left me. He didn't want me anymore! What would happen to me now?

Then I noticed two things. One, he had left his robe with me. Two, there was a piece of parchment in my hand with my name written across the front.

I opened it and read the note. After I'd read it, I wrapped his cloak tightly around me enveloping myself in a scent I now recognized as his.

Why couldn't I be like everyone else? Why did I have to be a freak? Maybe if I was normal, it would be easier for my daddy to love me.

Elizabeth said I wasn't a freak, but I didn't know if I could believe her. According to her, my daddy loved me, but how could I believe her? No one loved me my whole life, and now I had people who claimed to care about me, even love me.

"Harry, from what I hear, your father likes to play chess. Would you like for me to set up the board? If you don't know how to play, I'm sure he'd be willing to help you learn." Elizabeth was standing in the doorway with a box in her hands.

I nodded. If my daddy liked it, I would learn.

I wanted him to want to be my father. If he were ashamed of me, it would kill me. He was all I had in the world.

**Severus**

At breakfast the next morning, the hall was fairly devoid of students, as most of them had gone home for Christmas.

"You seem to be in a good mood," McGonagall commented.

"Most of the dunderheads are gone for the next two weeks, so why shouldn't I be?"

"You've never been this happy before."

"Perhaps he has more to be happy about than he is telling." Damn Albus and his twinkling eyes.

"What I have to be happy about is no one's business but my own. Albus, I'm going to have to speak to you after breakfast."

"Certainly. You know the password."

"Of course." It was always "mistletoe" this time of year.

Speaking of mistletoe, Trelawney was forever trying to trap me under the infernal stuff. She kept eying me all through breakfast and giggling whenever she saw me looking at her. Wonderful, now I had to be on the lookout for that _again_.

Madam Pomfrey studied my face for a few moments then looked over at Albus. They shared a look, and she smiled brightly. Apparently, she guessed the truth that I knew about my son.

After breakfast I made my way to Albus's office.

"Lemon drop?"

I shook my head and waved my hand. It took me a little while to speak. "Why did you never tell me?"

"Before James and Lily were targeted, you were so entrenched in the Dark Lord's teachings that I didn't think it would be safe for you to know you had a son."

"Did you ever think that if I knew Lily had carried my child—MY CHILD—that I would have become a spy that much sooner? That she wouldn't have died? That my son would not have been so abused that he barely lets anyone touch him?" I slapped my hands on his desk.

"I must admit, that never crossed my mind until it was too late."

"Why didn't you tell me after they'd died?"

"You were so distraught over Lily's death you could barely take care of yourself, let alone a child. Now I see that if you had a piece of Lily with you all along, you may have recovered much quicker."

"I guess this goes to show that even the smartest of us make mistakes."

"Indeed we do." Albus closed his eyes for a few minutes then opened them again. "How is your son?"

"Broken." My head fell to my chest, and I ran my hands through my hair.

"Not beyond repair, I hope."

"Elizabeth is clairvoyant and has seen that he will recover."

"Good. Severus, there is something you should know." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I never dreamed his relatives would treat him the way they did. I knew they might be a little resentful, but had hoped that Lily being Petunia's sister might soften her to the boy. Clearly, it only made matters worse."

"Indeed."

"For what it's worth, I'm very sorry for what happened to him."

"Thank you." I was still angry with him, but I could see that he truly was sorry for what had happened to Harry.

He cleared his throat. "I assume you will be spending the majority of your holiday with Harry?"

"That was my plan, yes."

"Well, I can assume duties for your Slytherins, and you may leave if you wish too."

"Thank you, sir. I don't want anyone to know that he is my son. I wish for everyone to still think he is James Potter's son. I think that would be safest for him and for me."

"I agree. Now, send your prefects to me and have a good holiday."

"Thank you, sir." As I left his office, I heard him pop a lemon drop into his mouth and start to hum one of his infernal songs. What were those things laced with?

"There you are!" I narrowly escaped Trelawney's grasp. "We are meant to be together. I have foreseen it!"

"The only thing you have foreseen is spending the day in your cups. I have more important things to do than argue with you."

"It is destiny!"

"Well my destiny and yours couldn't be farther apart." I all but ran down to the Slytherin Common Room.

After my prefects were on their way to Albus's office, I portkeyed to Wainwright Manor.

Elizabeth met me in the foyer like she had last time. "Quite an interesting encounter this morning?"

I snorted, embarrassed.

"I take it she's the reason you're so against people like me."

"Not people who can truly See, just people like her."

Elizabeth chuckled then fell quiet. Silently, she led me up the same way, but to a different room.

"With you around, he seems to be recovering much faster. So, I decided he needed a room of his own now. Reginald and Hermione are shopping for Christmas presents, so you shouldn't be disturbed."

Harry was seated on the floor in front of the fireplace with a set of wizard's chess in front of him. He seemed a little uncertain, as though he was afraid I would not want to play.

"I think he wants you to play with him." Elizabeth took a seat in the far corner of the room and picked up a book.

I understood why she didn't leave us alone. Harry didn't fully trust me yet, but he trusted Elizabeth, so she stayed in the room with us.

I walked over to Harry and got down on the floor on the other side of the board. "Hello, Harry."

He glanced up then lowered his head quickly. I could have sworn I saw a slight smile curl the corner of his mouth.

"Do you know how to play?"

He shook his head.

Harry had not said a word aside from saying that I loved him. I had to learn to decipher his body language. That wasn't very hard, considering I was once a spy.

"Would you like for me to teach you?"

He nodded.

Harry was a surprisingly quick learner. It wasn't too long before he was giving me a very good game. I got the distinct impression that he wanted me to be proud that he was good at something.

My son was very ingenious. He figured out that he could tap a chess piece and touch a square he wanted it to go to instead of calling out the moves. I never even knew that.

I decided that I would tell him about his past while we played, so I wouldn't have to look him in the face as I talked.

**Harry**

My daddy came just like he had promised.

A part of me worried that he wouldn't want to be my daddy anymore. Yes, it would hurt terribly when he left, but at least I had the memories of him holding me.

Elizabeth had given me a room of my own. It was huge. I wondered why I didn't go to live with him, but I didn't dare say anything. They might forget that they said they were going to not be mean to me, and my fairytale would end.

My daddy taught me to play Wizard's chess. We spent the day playing chess, and I listened to him tell stories about the school where he taught. He was Head of Slytherin House. According to him, people believed Slytherins were evil because some wicked wizard was in that House. But, he told me that he had been in there, and not everyone was evil simply because they were cunning. He was a Potions Master, and I wanted to be good at them so he would be proud to have me as his son.

He said I would go to school there when I turned eleven.

"Harry, there are some things I promised to tell you about. Well, I guess now is as good a time as any.

"Do you know why your name is Potter and mine is Snape even though you are my son?"

I shook my head and made another move. My father was going to tell me what he had promised he would.

"When your mother and I were growing up, there was a very evil man on the rise to power. Most everyone agrees that he is the worst wizard of all time. I became one of his followers. Why I joined him, I can't tell you or anyone for that matter. Believe me; I didn't join because I believed him. Your mother joined the side that fought him. When she found out about you, she realized that someone who followed the Dark Lord, or Voldemort, as he was called, couldn't be found to have a child with someone from the good side. So, she went to the Headmaster of the school where I work, as well as the medi-witch, who's in charge of the hospital wing there. They came up with a plan that would make everyone think that James Potter was your father. Even I believed it until I received your mother's letter."

He was silent for a moment. I glanced up at him. His brow was furrowed, and he seemed to be contemplating something.

"Do you know how you got your scar?"

"Voldemort's idols told him James and Lily died in a car crash and that's how he got it," Elizabeth spoke up, and Daddy smiled slightly at what she called Vernon and Petunia.

I was already getting better at not thinking of them as my aunt and uncle.

"That's not true. They died protecting you. Your mother stood in front of you to try to keep him from killing you. After he had killed her, he cast the Killing Curse at you. Instead of killing you, it gave you that scar and destroyed his body. Because of that, you are very famous. Most people love you, but some hate you because you destroyed Voldemort. They call you the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Now, people think I'm still loyal to Voldemort, so if it reaches certain ears that you are my son, they'll kill both of us. For your safety, we have to keep pretending that your father is dead. That doesn't change how I feel about you. I love you, but until the Dark Lord is gone for good, we need to pretend. You understand?"

It made me sad that I couldn't have people know I had a father. But, if it would keep my daddy safe, I would listen to him.

I could tell that it made him sad too that he couldn't tell anyone he had a son. He hugged me and said, "I love you, Harry, more than my own life, as much as I love your mother."

Something warm and unfamiliar bubbled up inside me, and I felt tears leaking from my eyes. He loved me. My daddy loved the worthless freak he had for a son.

"Shh, Harry, it's okay. I'm here." Daddy was rubbing his hand up and down my back. He pulled me into his arms and held me, letting my cry. I cried for the mother I never knew, for the life I could have had with her and Daddy, for wishing the Dursleys had been a little nicer to me, for my daddy, for reasons I couldn't even understand.

**Elizabeth **

Severus was tormenting himself over events that couldn't be changed. If he continued along that line of thinking it would ruin his relationship with his child.

"You can't change the past to the extent you want to, even with a Time-Turner, but the future's never set in stone," I said after Harry fell asleep, "We all make mistakes, but whether we learn from them is up to us entirely. You did something stupid, and your son had to pay for it. But now that you have him, you can rectify the situation as best as possible."

I wanted so badly to tell them about Lily. How she had come to me and told me she would see me again. I couldn't tell anything because I didn't even understand why and how she had come to me.

It tore me up to see this father and son destroyed by a war that one was too young to even remember and in which the other was an unwilling participant.

After Harry had cried himself out, he refused to let go of his father. Any movement Severus made to loosen himself from Harry's grasp would make Harry whimper and cry. Severus looked up at me helplessly, obviously wondering what he should do.

"I don't think he'd mind if you stayed here. He panicked this morning when he found you weren't with him. I think this is the last time I'll oversee your visits. That doesn't mean that I won't be nearby. In case you hadn't noticed, his room is right across the hall from mine. So I'll be nearby if something happens." I stood to leave the room. "Dinky, leave a glass of water on the nightstand for Harry." After ensuring that the elf had done my bidding, I said, "Good night," and closed the door behind me.


	14. Just A Peek

**Regulus**

It had been about a year and a half since Harry came to live with us. For me, it was hard to imagine life without him now that he was with us.

As it turns out, Harry was a Parseltongue. My worst fear was confirmed. Harry was indeed a Horcrux. Elizabeth believed that he already had the ability, but the soul fragment woke it up.

Elizabeth's and my research was getting us nowhere on how to remove it from him. It looked like the only way was for him to die. It would kill me if he had to die to take down that maniac. We wouldn't give up. We hadn't fought this hard to have him led like a lamb to the slaughter.

Next year, he and Hermione would be off to Hogwarts. It would be dreadfully lonely without them to liven the place up a bit. Elizabeth would probably take off a lot, like she did before she brought the children to live with us. That would leave me all alone in the house.

Elizabeth was truly a miracle worker. Everything she touched seemed to bloom. I alone knew the secret to her helpfulness. She turned her pain into something beautiful. Her being able to do that attested to just how strong she was, which was much stronger than even I knew.

Hermione actually stopped talking so much. She had Harry to relate to, and she soon realized that not everyone wanted to know everything she knew. She and Harry soon became best friends. He was still rather shy, but was slowly coming out of his shell thanks to his "sister."

My brother was still in prison. I couldn't believe that he would have betrayed James like that. Hell, he loved James more than he loved me. It hurt to admit that, but I was so entranced by the Dark Lord that I never really saw anything or anyone else until it was too late to rectify the situation.

Harry and Hermione could now speak four different languages fluently aside from English, thanks to Elizabeth's tutelage: Greek, French, Italian, and Mandarin.

Hermione was quite the dancer. She could ballroom dance with the best of them, even putting purebloods to shame with her skill. She was also very good at ballet and modern dance. She loved being on the dance floor almost as much as she loved her books.

Harry could dance well enough to be able to fit in at a pureblood ball, but it wasn't something he was particularly fond of.

They were also black belts in various forms of martial arts including weapons. Elizabeth was also teaching them wand dueling, just the basics until they were of an age she felt they were capable of more advanced techniques.

Elizabeth also taught them how to fly. At this rate, if anyone from Hogwarts, or even professional teams, saw them, they would be made seekers right then and there.

By the time she was done with them, Harry and Hermione would be able to hold their own against just about anyone, in any situation, anywhere.

I still read to Hermione on a nightly basis, just no longer from _Beedle the Bard_. Her interest turned to our world. Among her favorites were the more mystical ones: Veelas, mermaids, sirens, unicorns, and other such topics.

I ordered some books by Gilderoy Lockhart as they came so highly recommended. Turns out they were nothing but tall tales.

"Listen to this!" Elizabeth was reading _Voyages with Vampires_ and having a great time ridiculing everything Lockhart had to say. "_The vampire's glittering fangs unsheathed themselves, and I knew I had to act quickly. As we were in the shadows, the sunlight wouldn't bother it, so I needed to bring the sunlight to it. "Lumos Solem!" I shouted. The vampire crumpled to dust. _People actually believe this crap? Fangs? Burning in sunlight? Moving slowly enough to let him cast his spell? I never knew that. Unless of course there are more than one kind of vampire.

"If anything, he should have said '_Incindio.'_ That might have worked. I'm not sure, seeing as how magic works inconsistently at best, if at all, on vampires."

"I don't think there are many people who've actually met someone like you," I snickered.

"Some people are just so stupid to believe that he could actually take out a banshee." Hermione glanced up from her book. "Oh, I'm going to smile at the Bandon Banshee. That will scare her away." She gave a weird smile and crossed her eyes, causing the rest of us to chuckle.

"You know, one day, I'm going to put that liar in his place in front of as many of his fans as I possibly can." Elizabeth smirked evilly. "It's not like he can Obliviate me."

"You could always tell Skeeter. She'd have a field day," Regulus snickered. "The greatest story of her career, Gilderoy Lockhart: Fraud or Fiend?"

"You know, I just might do that one day." Elizabeth dazed off for a few seconds, no doubt contemplating what Gilderoy Lockhart would do if news of his lies leaked out. "I think I'm going to put this book on the shelf with Bram Stoker's _Dracula._" She laughed. "That way I have something to read when I'm really bored and need someone to ridicule mercilessly for their sheer stupidity." She scowled at Gilderoy's picture that was merrily winking and smirking at her then to make a rude gesture at it.

"Are you really bored right now?" Hermione giggled. Elizabeth rarely acted this way and when she did, it always made us laugh.

"Yes." Elizabeth stuck out her lower lip and pouted.

"This guy's eating up his fame just like people are eating up his lies. One day it's going to catch up to him. I just hope I'm there to laugh at him when it happens." Harry was reading _Gadding with Ghouls._

""Uh, excuse me for a moment; I believe there's an escape backstage with my name on it!"" Elizabeth pretended to be Lockhart then dissolved into a fit of giggles.

For a while there was silence at we continued to plow our way through the books. Every now and then, someone would howl with laughter and read a ridiculous excerpt from whatever they were reading.

"And to think. They came so highly recommended!" I said in mock regret. As stupid as these books were, they were a grand source of entertainment for us.

I glanced at the clock and realized Severus would be coming soon for his weekly visits. I now had to act as unlike Regulus as I could so Reginald Masen and Regulus Black would not be confused.

It was hard to believe how much Severus had changed in the last few years. The sneer that seemed to have taken permanent residence at the corner of his mouth disappeared whenever he was around his son. He was still reserved and condescending at times, but that was a habit with him.

About half an hour later, we were interrupted by someone saying, "What in Merlin's name are you reading?" Severus stared at us incredulously.

"Gildedroy Fraudheart's books," Hermione sneered then laughed at her name for him.

"I take it you are not fans." He smirked as he picked up _Year with the Yeti_.

"Don't insult me," Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"They came highly recommended, but I should never have wasted my money on this gabbing fool's work." I tossed my book on the coffee table.

"They're funny, especially when you're bored." Harry put his book down and ran across the floor to hug his father. "Missed you, Dad." He buried his face in his father's chest and took a deep breath. His arms wrapped themselves around Severus's waist, and he held his father as tight as he could.

"I missed you too." Severus returned his son's hug.

They took the loveseat and Severus picked up the book Harry had laid down. After flipping through it for a few minutes, he said, "I hope you don't follow his example and publish your life story, even if it is real. Leave it shrouded in mystery. You don't need any more publicity."

"I don't want anyone to know what happened to me." Harry hung his head as he spoke. "People don't need to know that the Savior of the Wizarding World couldn't even defend himself against his muggle relatives. If I couldn't do that, how am I supposed to help them? I'm too weak." Sometimes, even though he was healing, it still showed just how much he was scarred.

"That's up to you, but you don't need to feel ashamed that you were too young and small to defend yourself. Being a child isn't weak. It's Dursley who was weak because he chose to hurt someone who couldn't fight back." Severus pulled his son close and Harry curled deeper into his father's side.

We were silent for a while until Severus broke it with a small chuckle. "You'll never guess what the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan did this week."

That had us all listening to him. "What?" Hermione was practically bouncing in her seat. We lived to hear what those two had done.

"They turned the whole Slytherin Quidditch team's hair bright Gryffindor red and made them roar like lions whenever they tried to open their mouths."

"How?" Harry asked wide eyed.

"They somehow got a hold of potions which would make those things happen. Then they simply told the house elves they were vitamin potions the Slytherin team was supposed to drink for breakfast. Poor house elves had no idea what it was, so they did as they were ordered."

"How did the victims react?" Elizabeth snickered. Chances are, she already knew, but wanted us to hear it too.

"They looked at each other with horrified expressions on their faces, then over at the Gryffindor table and for a while, all you could hear was infernal roaring. As you can imagine, everyone else, their own House included, thought it was absolutely hilarious."

It sounded like what my brother and his friends would do. He would have been so proud if he knew that someone had finally decided to follow in their footsteps. I would have said something along those lines, but I remembered that Severus had been at the butt end of quite a few of their less savory pranks, so I kept quiet.

"Then, they levitated dungbombs that they'd charmed to smell extra terrible into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and timed them to go off right as their class was starting. Needless to say, they were let out early.

"That's not all they did. One evening, they charmed a toy mouse filled with catnip to run into everything so that the Filch's cat would bang her head as she chased it. By the time she reached the Great Hall, she was unable to walk in a straight line. So, right in the middle of dinner, this ugly cat comes walking into the room, swaying back and forth and hitting her head on every obstacle possible. As you may have guessed, Filch, was less than pleased that Mrs. Norris was the victim. No one else minded seeing as how everyone hates that awful animal."

"How do they get caught?" Hermione asked after our fits of laughter had quieted down.

It was apparent we were all wondering that. If they were so smart to be able to pull off the pranks they did, it didn't make sense that anyone should know it was them.

"They want to get caught, so they let it slip to a first year. It helps spread their reputations as master pranksters."

"I'd go gray if I had to put up with them." Elizabeth laughed.

"You can't go gray," Harry and Hermione said at the same time.

"If I had to put up with them, I'm sure my body chemistry would find a way to do so," she stated piously.

We all shared a good laugh over that one.

**Severus**

By now, the school had become accustomed to the fact that I took most of the weekend off. No questions were asked, and Dumbledore had spread my House duties amongst the other teachers, specifically Professor Sinistra.

It was nice being around people who didn't let the wizarding war affect them in their prejudices.

I knew Elizabeth had been involved in the war and more than likely Reginald as well. They just didn't discuss it very much. Whenever it was brought up, they would shy away from it and change the subject quickly. I knew Elizabeth had been a Death Eater, but she was so young, there had to be more to the story.

Sometimes I could have sworn I saw Reginal touch his left forearms when the Dark Lord was mentioned. Reginald also wore something over that arm at all times. Maybe he had been forced to join or had left and didn't want to be caught. Either way, I would favor he with silence.

My son was recovering very well. According to Elizabeth, when she took him shopping in muggle London, he hardly reacted at all to the people around him aside from standing a little closer to her than normal. He used to have bouts where he reacted badly—curling up under the stairs in a ball and shaking pleading with Vernon Dursley not to hurt him—but they were further and further apart until they were almost nonexistent.

When those attacks happened, it was all I could do not to track down the prison where Mr. Dursley was held and torture him. My son suffered at his hands, so I wanted him to suffer at mine. The only thing that kept me from going was the fact that my son needed me to stay out of Azkaban.

I couldn't be more proud of him. He thought of himself as weak, but those who knew his story, knew he couldn't be stronger.

Elizabeth and I agreed that he should get glasses so when he went to school so people would see him and automatically think of James Potter. There was also a charm so that his soft, fine hair would stick up all over the place like James's did.

When I arrived at Wainwright, I couldn't believe what they were reading. It looked like all of Gilderoy Lockhart's books were either lying on the coffee table, or being read. They didn't see me standing there for a while. I got the impression that they were reading them for laughs due to the fact that once in a while one of them would snicker.

Hermione seemed unimpressed by his work as she came up with a name for him I hadn't even thought of. She was probably one of the few women in England who weren't infatuated with him. That girl had a head on her shoulders.

After I had shared my "Weasley Weekly" with them, the others exited the room giving my son and me some privacy.

After they left, we settled into companionable silence. My son and I worked best like that. We learned more about each other in our silence than we did in our words.

Harry set up the chess board, and we played for a while. He was talking some now. It made me feel good to know that part of the reason he was healing was because of me. Because he knew I loved him, he was slowly becoming the person he was supposed to be. He would never fully recover, but he would be much better than he would have been had his abuse not been caught until Hogwarts.

Sometimes I would make comments about potions, and he would say something about a Quidditch game he had seen, but other than that, there was not much need for talk. He was very much like his mother in that way.

Being with him made me miss Lily that much more. My son was so much like her. Her sweetness and gentleness carried over into him. I hoped that none of my darkness would taint his soul. He had enough problems to deal with without mine being added to the mix.

"Are you staying the night?" Harry looked up at me with a hopeful expression.

"I always stay."

"Good. It's lonely without you."

"It's lonely without you too." I paused for a moment. "Harry, when the Dark Lord is gone for good, I want you to come live with me. As my grandfather's only heir, I got everything. It won't be quite as grand as Wainwright, but it's home."

"I'd like that." He smiled at me. "Where do you live?"

"For now, I live in my parents' house on Spinner's End, in the muggle world. I would live in Prince Manor, but it's too big for me to live without anyone else."

"So, where would we live?"

"The Manor since that's what you're used to. Besides, I think it's time I fixed up and sold the house in Spinner's End. Too many bad memories."

"You had a bad childhood?"

"Not as bad as yours was, but yes."

We were silent for a while, then Harry spoke again, "What did he do to you?"

I stared off into the distance for a while, and then replied, "He'd yell at me and my mother. That escalated into beatings for the both of us."

"I'm sorry."

"Unlike you, I had someone there to try to defend me. My mother would take whatever of my beatings she could." I chuckled once. "Your mother didn't think anything less of me for having a bad home life. She was the first and only friend I had for many years." No need to bring up Lucius Malfoy and his problems.

"So you were very lonely."

"Yes."

"And your daddy hurt you like Vernon Dursley hurt me." He didn't call them his family anymore. Why should he? He had the residents of Wainwright and me.

"Not quite as badly." It was hard to admit to my son that I was abused as a child. In that way, I understood where he was coming from in his reluctance to speak of his own past.

"So you know what I feel like."

"A little."

"I don't think any less of you. It just means that you're stronger than most everyone else." My son was throwing my words back at me. I had to smile at this.

"But I didn't recover as well as you did."

"That's because you didn't have people like you and Elizabeth. You only had a little girl there for you."

"That's true. Though your mother helped more than she ever knew."

"It's good that you had someone. If there had been no one at all, you would have been in bad shape."

"That is very true."

Harry's brow furrowed. He seemed to be contemplating something.

"What is it, son?"

"You'll have to pretend to hate me when I get to Hogwarts."

"Not hate you, just dislike you. One, you're supposed to be the son of a man I hated most of my life. Two, you're the Boy-Who-Lived, and I'm supposed to be a loyal Death Eater."

"So you won't treat me worse than you would treat the others?"

"No, son. I could never do that."

"Good. I wouldn't like that."

"Neither would I."

Harry relaxed after hearing that and our games continued until the fire dimmed, signaling time for bed. Harry and I put our game away and went to our rooms.

A few months after I learned of Harry's parentage, Elizabeth gave me a suite of rooms for me to use during my weekends with Harry. So that was where I spent my nights.


	15. Widening the Search

**Edward**

It had been close to fourteen years since we had last seen Elizabeth. Fourteen years of following leads, of moving from town to town. Every time we found something promising, it turned out to not be her. Wherever she was, she truly didn't want to be found.

Jacob seemed to be the only one who knew anything. Whenever he would try to tell us, his thoughts would become garbled so that I couldn't understand what he was thinking. He couldn't even make a sound to say anything.

Seth told me that Jacob wasn't able to tell him in their wolf form. It was as though an alpha had given him an order because Jacob could not disobey.

We had utilized every resource we had, and had come up with nothing. The Volturi couldn't help us because Demetri had not met her, so he didn't know what her mind felt like. Alistair felt no pull toward her. Alice couldn't see Elizabeth because she was half vampire. Jacob couldn't tell us because something stopped him. So we were flying completely blind.

We were seated around the dining room table, discussing where to go next because we had finally run out of leads.

"She would go somewhere she would fit in, but where? She can blend in anywhere." Jasper tapped his finger on the edge of the table, his eyebrows furrowed, highlighting the scars above his left eye.

Always the military strategist, he was trying to think like Elizabeth. It was the easiest for him because she had practically been his shadow in the few months she had been with us, so he would know her best. My serious daughter had gravitated to her scarred soldier uncle more than she had to any of us, except for me when I played the piano. At the time, it had amused us that she was so fascinated by the darkest members of her family.

I missed her so much, the way she would watch my fingers intently while I played, then begging me to let her try. She would try to compose a piece of her own; it sounded so sweet. I missed her snuggling against my chest while I hummed her to sleep.

"How could she hide so well?" my Bella asked. Her slender hand held mine tightly, our fingers interlaced. Elizabeth's leaving had crushed her. One of the children she had fought so hard to keep turned her back on us. Bella curled up in my arms and dry sobbed for hours once Elizabeth's disappearance became known.

"Because she knows how we think. I think her talents were just beginning to develop before she disappeared, and they will have become much stronger as she got older. For all we know, she has ways of knowing we're trying to locate her and has buried herself so deep that we have no chance of finding her," Jasper replied. Memories of her playing little war games with him flashed through his mind.

"Where would she go?" Rosalie demanded. "Since you know her so well, Jazz, why don't you tell us?" Though Rosalie had been closer to Renesmee than Elizabeth, she still cared deeply for my younger daughter.

"If I was hiding from people who were most comfortable in the United States, I would leave the country," Jasper replied calmly. "We've been looking in all the wrong places. Maybe somewhere sunny, or a place she's really interested in that we wouldn't think go to."

"That really helps," Rosalie snorted.

"Actually, it does. She was always fascinated with the Europe and Asia, and none of us have ever lived there after I came to this country. Maybe she went there knowing that it would take a while for us to catch up with her." Carlisle's eyes lit up.

"There are over three thousand vampires on those two continents. How are we supposed to find her then?" Rosalie raised an eyebrow. "And it's not like we're friendly with all of them, so we can't just go around asking about her. Some of them would be more than happy to use her against us."

"The British Isles. That was her favorite topic of conversation with me." Carlisle was smiling slightly. An image of Elizabeth sitting on his knee while he spoke of his motherland filled his mind.

He believed we had finally stumbled on Elizabeth's hiding spot, or close to it at least, and I wasn't one to disagree with him.

"It could still take us years," Renesmee spoke up. Her hands cradled her pregnant belly, and she leaned against Jacob. After we decided that we weren't going to find Elizabeth anytime soon, Jacob and Renesmee decided to get married. The baby wasn't exactly planned, but then, neither were the twins.

"We have forever to look," Esme said gently.

_Why did you not let me tell?_ Jake's thoughts came through clearly before becoming garbled once more.

So, Elizabeth had stopped Jake from telling us whatever it was that had driven her away? Some outside force must have caused her to believe she was too dangerous to stay with us because of her extraordinary gifts.

What had the Romanians done to her exactly? If they weren't already dead, I would have hunted them down and killed them slowly for what they did to my daughter.

**Renesmee**

My sister had left us. There had been no warning, nothing. Jacob couldn't say anything to anyone, not even to me. Whenever I would ask about it, he would tear up and shake his head, unable to say anything.

Daddy went out into the woods where she had disappeared and found that the snow had hidden practically every trace underneath it. All we knew was that the Romanians were involved somehow.

Immediately after the Volturi had decided I wasn't dangerous, Daddy asked if it would be possible for them to help us find Elizabeth. They couldn't help us because Demetri had never met her. No one could help us.

She had left no trail. Jenks hadn't found anything even after he had contacted all of his acquaintances. No one had seen or heard of a girl of our description.

Then again, Elizabeth could change her appearance. I'd bet she had done just that. When I brought that up, it took away one more lead.

Our vampire friends heard nothing about a half-vampire girl other than me.

The only thing that could in any way be connected to Elizabeth was that we discovered the Romanians disappeared three years after our encounter with the Volturi. Rumor had it that Aro received a letter stating that the world had been purged of two more monsters. Along with the letter was a box carrying vampire ashes. No other non-human scent was on the package or letter. Because of that, most people assumed that Elizabeth had been the one to kill them. The image of my sister killing two stronger, faster, much more experienced vampires turned my stomach.

My sister had missed Jake's and my wedding. She missed finding out that I was pregnant. She would more than likely miss my baby's birth. She was missing everything.

Leah left us about two years after I was born to travel the world and maybe pick up hints as to where Elizabeth could be. She still kept in contact with Jake and Seth, but that was about it. So far, she found nothing. It was like Elizabeth didn't exist anymore.

Seth was still with us, along with Embry. When we left the Olympic Peninsula, Quil stayed in La Push to be with Claire.

Jake became a little sad when he learned that Quil was phasing less and less. It made sense though, since Claire was getting older, so Jake didn't try to stop him.

His best friend was growing old without him.

Embry would probably find a human and marry her, and then it would just be Jake.

Soon, all of Jake's friends would be gone. He would go to their funerals, but he would look like he did when he was seventeen. No one would know that he was their best friend when they were young.

I felt sad for Jake. Because of me, he would live forever. If no vampires showed up in Forks when they did, there would be no imprinting. If there were no vampires in Forks, there would be no me. If there were no me, he probably would have settled down with some other girl and grown old and died. I didn't want to think about that. Jake was mine.

"Ness, keep your thoughts on the situation at hand, please." My dad's voice cut through to me.

"Sorry, Dad." I blushed slightly when I thought about my father reading my thoughts.

"Where do we start?" Alice asked wryly. It was strange for her, not knowing what to do next, because she was used to being the one to give directions.

"Ireland. From there, we'll work our way to Scotland, then to England. If she's not there, we'll go to the Mainland." Carlisle stood.

"That could take centuries if she's as smart as you're saying she is!" Rosalie sighed.

"Then it's a good thing we live forever," Emmett said, chuckling.

Esme followed Carlisle's lead. "Let's start packing."

Within seconds, everyone was bustling about, loading everything into boxes, and after only a few hours, the entire house was packed. Someone called a moving company and arranged for our things to be shipped over to one of Carlisle's properties in Ireland.

While all of this was going on, Alice purchased our plane tickets. We were ready to leave the country.

Please, please be there.

**Bella**

I missed my daughter. My little girl with almond shaped emerald green eyes, I would never see her again. In her place would be a woman. What kind of woman, I didn't know, but a woman nonetheless. My non-beating heart ached.

Why did she feel the need to leave? What happened to her to make her feel she would no longer be welcomed with us?

What would she look like? Would she still look like Edward? Or would her features favor mine?

Would she still act like a mini-Edward? Or would whatever it was that possessed her to leave make her jaded, bitter, unrecognizable?

Waves of calm washed over me, and I sent a grateful glance Jasper's way.

My prodigal daughter would be found, whether she liked it or not. I rested my head on Edward's shoulder and pretended to sleep as the plane took off from New York and started its journey across the Atlantic.

In eight hours, we would begin following trails across Europe.


	16. The Alley

**Hermione**

During breakfast a few weeks before Harry's eleventh birthday, a phoenix flashed in front of us. Its red and gold plumage seemed to shimmer slightly as if on fire.

Elizabeth jumped back slightly and stared at the bird warily. When I snickered at the look on her face, she darkly scowled at me. Right, I forgot that vampires and fire don't mix, which was surprising since Elizabeth was constantly telling us so we didn't accidentally set her on fire.

"Ah, so it looks like Dumbledore got smart and sent your Hogwarts letters with the only creature that can find you," Reginald chuckled softly.

The beautiful bird handed Harry and I each an envelope with the address written in green ink.

On the front of Harry's was written:

_Mr. Harry Potter_

_The Silver and Red Suite_

_West Wing of Wainwright Manor_

_Unplottable Location_

Mine had a similar address:

_Miss Hermione Granger_

_The White and Blue Suite_

_West Wing of Wainwright Manor_

_Unplottable Location_

Ripping it open, I read what was written:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

_of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards:_

Dear Miss Granger:

We are Pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins of September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely

Minerva McGonagall,

_Deputy Headmistress_

There was a second sheet of paper in the envelope.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

_of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please not that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling

_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Draughts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _by Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Tremble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Well, that's a bummer," Harry muttered as he read the last part of the letter.

"What is?" Elizabeth asked as she peered over my shoulder. "Oh, that you're not allowed to take a broom?"

"Yeah."

Elizabeth merely smiled that annoying smile of hers and went back to her seat. Her green eyes twinkled merrily and she suddenly became very interested in an article in _The Daily Prophet_, which was shocking since it was written by Rita Skeeter and Elizabeth made no secret about her feelings for the woman and her work.

"What do you know that we don't?" I demanded.

"Oh." She pretended to contemplate that for a moment then grinned. "A lot."

The phoenix trilled softly and looked at Harry and me expectantly.

"I think we should send your letters with it. Dinky!" Elizabeth called.

"Yes, Elizabeth?" Dinky bowed. "What can Dinky do for miss?"

"Bring parchment, ink, quills, and three envelopes."

"Make it four," Harry said.

The elf did as he was told, and soon writing equipment appeared in front of Harry and me, and I carefully penned my reply:

_To Whom it May Concern,_

_I would be honored to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I intrepidly await September 1._

_Sincerely, _

_Hermione Granger_

Harry's reply was similar to mine. After he was finished, he also penned a letter to his father telling him about receiving his letter.

It was sad that Harry and Severus weren't allowed to publicly acknowledge each other as father and son. If that were me, I'd probably have started to cry.

Elizabeth sent a note along with our letters. What it said, I never saw.

As soon as the phoenix had our letters, it flashed away.

"How would you like to go ahead and get your shopping out of the way?" Elizabeth asked with mischief glimmering in her emerald eyes.

"You mean you're taking us to Diagon Alley?" Harry and I asked at the same time. It was rare that she allowed us to go anywhere, and we had never been to Diagon Alley so we looked forward to it.

"Unless of course you don't want to go." She shrugged. "I guess I can always go to Flourish and Blotts alone."

"NO!" we shouted together.

"Well, all right then. No need to shout, I can hear better than you can." She pretended to scold us. "Get your cloaks!"

We raced to our rooms and grabbed our best cloaks.

**Elizabeth**

It had been quite a while since I had let myself think about my family. But seeing yet another milestone being passed in my children's lives involuntarily brought them to mind. They had no idea what I was doing or where I was. They didn't know about my children. They didn't know why I left. They knew absolutely nothing about me anymore.

Closing my eyes, I checked in on them.

My family was in an airplane crossing the ocean. Jake had his arms around a very pregnant Nessie, and my father held my mother in his arms.

The others were in various non-compromising positions throughout the rest of the first class cabin. Even Rosalie and Emmett were behaving themselves. Well, maybe that was because Carlisle and Esme were seated between them.

I almost had to smile at Emmett who looked as though not being able to touch Rosalie in any way during the flight was sheer torture. Then again, considering Emmett, it probably was.

Well, it looked like they were coming to Europe. I only hoped they wouldn't find me before the Dark Lord was destroyed. I left to keep them out of harm's way, so all my years of separation from them would be for nothing if they found me too soon.

My heart ached, but I couldn't give in. I had too much at stake, too much to lose to give up now.

**Hermione**

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at our clothing choice, but said nothing. It's not like we used them very often anyway.

"Have fun. And Elizabeth, please get me those ingredients I asked you to get from the apothecaries." Reginald turned back to his paper.

"I'll get them. Come on." She motioned for us to follow her into the traveling room. The fireplace in this room was the only one in the house that allowed floo travel and required a password to use.

Elizabeth leaned towards the fireplace and whispered something neither Harry nor I could hear as she threw some floo powder into it. Instantly, the flames turned green.

She turned to us, "Now, to use this, you take a handful of floo powder and throw it down and shout your location very clearly. However, unlike other floo connections, to return to Wainwright, you lean close to the fire and whisper _Stregoni benefici_. The floo will activate, and you step in and it will take you directly here without any unwanted passengers. By the way, we are going to The Leaky Cauldron. In you go."

I stepped up first. Taking a handful of powder, I threw it and shouted, "The Leaky Cauldron." I was spun around several times, the deposited inside a dingy looking room.

Just in time, I remembered that Harry was coming through next, so I quickly stepped out of the way. Looking down, I realized my clothes were rather dirty. Quickly, I did my best to brush the soot off.

Harry tumbled out of the fireplace, followed by Elizabeth who walked out as gracefully as ever.

She took in our appearances and with a wave of her hand, the soot disappeared.

"Come along then."

We followed her into a back room of the building.

She stopped at a brick wall and tapped a series of bricks with her finger.

To our surprise, the bricks dissolved to reveal an archway to the most fantastic place Harry and I had ever seen. There were shops of every kind lining the street. Bits and bobs of all sorts stood in front of the stores, and there were people dressed very oddly even compared to Elizabeth scurrying about. They were all wearing pointed hats, and the men had on what could have passed for dresses.

Elizabeth's black leather bomber jacket, black jeans with silver studs down the legs, and black five-inch heeled boots certainly stand out in the crowd. As would her inky black hair styled in a faux hawk which she had decided to add a chunk of bright blue to the front. There was also a magnetic ring in her lower, blood red lip. Her eyes were shadowed in smoky black with mascara that matched the blue in her hair. It didn't help that she had a goblin made blade stuck into her right boot. The handle with its lighting scarred onyx jewel glittered in the sunlight like the skin of a vampire.

Reginald had told me Elizabeth was an American, but because she lived with him for so long, she developed his accent.

Why she had left the United States and how she and Reginald had met, no one ever told me. When I asked, they would get a look on their faces that said they didn't want to talk about it and change the subject.

"Hurry up," Elizabeth said, drawing me out of my thoughts and she led us over to a huge building, Gringotts Bank.

Before we walked in, Elizabeth turned to us, "Goblins run this establishment, and they are very proud creatures. So, behave respectfully and mind your manners. Let me do all the talking. Do not touch _anything_. And _don't_ stare."

We nodded and she opened the door.

Goblins scurried around going about their business. They were very odd little creatures indeed. No higher than my waist with pointy ears and leathery skin, I could understand why Elizabeth warned us not to stare.

Elizabeth led us to a very tall desk in the middle of the room.

"Well, what can I do for you?" the goblin asked in a gravelly voice. He studied us over his spectacles, his eyes lingering longer on Elizabeth as though he recognized her or at least what she was.

"I would like to visit vault 3018," Elizabeth replied calmly.

The goblin's eyes widened at the vault number, but quickly cleared his expression. "Do you have your clearance?"

She handed him a faded piece of parchment and the goblin studied it for a moment. A man with long bright red hair was brought over, and he examined the parchment as well.

"It's good."

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley."

"Very well. Griphook will take you there. Mr. Weasley, I will have to ask you to accompany them."

Mr. Weasley smiled and nodded, his earring jiggled with the movement of his head.

"This way." We followed another goblin and Mr. Weasley onto a little cart.

It was fairly silent for a while as we enjoyed the breakneck speed that the cart was doing as it whipped through the caverns of Gringotts. Even Elizabeth enjoyed herself as we delved deeper and deeper into the earth.

Down some of the halls, I could have sworn I saw flashes of flame. Eerie roars echoed off the walls. There was only one creature I could think of that would make those kinds of sounds.

"Are there dragons here, Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes. They guard some of the older vaults. If I'm not mistaken, there is one near the vault we're headed to. Oh, and Mr. Weasley is my father, I'm Bill." He smiled.

"Great, I absolutely hate dragons," Elizabeth muttered darkly. Her expression was murderous. For the first time in years, she looked like a vampire.

"Is there something wrong with them?" Bill asked.

"We don't get along." Elizabeth spoke through clinched teeth.

"Don't let my brother Charlie hear you say that."

"Why's that?" I asked him.

"Because, he works on a dragon reserve in Romania. He loves those beasts. Thinks they're fantastic."

"Those tragic mistakes of nature?" Elizabeth sneered under her breath, but loud enough for us to hear her.

Bill laughed loudly at that, his voice echoing through the caverns.

"Why did they ask you to come along?" Harry finally spoke up.

"Because, on some of these older vaults, there are some particularly nasty curses, and as I'm a curse breaker, they thought it best if I came along in case there is one on the vault we're headed."

"That makes sense." Harry nodded to himself as if confirming whatever suspicion he had about the man.

"Vault 3018." Griphook announced after what seemed like an eternity. "Lamp please." He turned to Bill. "Mr. Weasley."

Bill jumped out of the cart and waved his wand in an intricate pattern over the aged door. "It's safe," he said at last.

"I could have told you that without the spell!" Elizabeth muttered darkly. Apparently she didn't like people doing things for her.

Bill smiled at her then stepped aside. "Key please."

Elizabeth handed him the key.

The door creaked open and revealed mountains of gold, silver, and other precious metals.

"Wait here," she instructed and slipped inside.

After a few moments of the soft clink of metal, Elizabeth emerged with a bag of coins and an ornately carved silver trinket which she slid into her pocket.

On the ride back up, no one spoke.

When we stepped off the cart, Elizabeth handed the trinket to Griphook and said, "May your forges be forever fruitful."

"May your vaults be enriched by your kindness." The goblin slipped it into a small pouch on his hip.

After we left the bank, I turned to Elizabeth, "What was that all about?"

"What the goblins make, they feel belongs to them once the person who they made it for dies. The trinket I gave him is useless to me, so I gave it to him to return to the family who made it. It's good for business. If you respect the goblins and their traditions, they will be more careful with your money and be sure to invest it wisely."

"Wow."

"Yes. It helps to understand other cultures."

Without further ado, Elizabeth led us down the street to Flourish and Blotts.


	17. Strange Encounters

**Draco**

As I strolled through the aisles of Flourish and Blotts, I caught sight of a boy and a girl about my age with a girl who looked to be about a seventh year, but was really small, not much taller than her younger companions. The younger two were dressed in wizarding clothing. I prided myself in knowing all of the pureblood crests, but the one on their cloaks was unfamiliar to me. Were they perhaps from another country?

The older girl was dressed very strangely, so I couldn't help but stare at her for a few moments. She caught me staring and raised an eyebrow at me. Embarrassed, I turned away and pretended to be extremely interested in a stack of books.

A dark cloak at my elbow caused me to turn around.

"Need some help, Draco?" Uncle Severus asked. Though he wasn't really my uncle, I called him that out of respect because he was my godfather.

"Not really."

"Then why are you looking at second year books?"

"Just curious." I glanced over at the strange people again.

He followed my gaze, "Ah and not just in the books, I take it."

"Who are they?"

"No one knows anything about them." With that, he spun on his heel and headed over to the potions section of the store.

That appeared to be the only reply I was going to get out of my godfather. With a huff, I crossed the room to where they were.

"Draco Malfoy." I stuck out my hand to the boy.

The boy took it, "Harry Potter. This is my adopted sister, Hermione Granger."

"The Harry Potter?" As soon as it came out, I realized how stupid it sounded.

Harry ducked his head, "Guess so."

I turned to the girl.

She smiled and held out her hand.

I took her hand and lightly kissed it, just the way my father taught me. "It's a pleasure to meet you." I liked her eyes. They were friendly and warm.

"Come along then, Draco. Your parents are waiting," Uncle Severus said. Why did he have to interrupt right then?

"Have a nice day," Hermione smiled, and the others nodded in my direction.

"There you are, Draco." I looked up to see my mother. "Where were you?"

"I met Harry Potter."

"And?"

"He's nothing like people say he is." He wasn't proud or anything like that. In fact, he was rather shy almost.

"Come along then, you need to get fitted. Merlin, Severus, I don't know why you dragged us off to the bookstore first. We should have gone to Madam Malkin's first thing." With that, she dragged us out of the store."

**Elizabeth**

I sent a note to Severus letting him know of our shopping schedule, that way he could vicariously be with his son while he shopped for his first year supplies. It was the one thing I hated about this situation. By pretending that they weren't related, Severus and Harry were denied the father/son bonding experiences if it involved being around other people.

After we had purchased their books, I allowed them to look at books they might be interested in. I had done most of their book shopping before, but decided that I shouldn't make all of their decisions for them.

While we were browsing, a boy about their age introduced himself. He had the haughty air of a well to do, well brought-up pureblood.

Severus came over after a few minutes and sent Harry a small smile before escorting Draco away.

Harry seemed to understand what his father was trying to say, and a quick look at his mind told me that he was refusing to let jealousy take over.

I couldn't help but wonder if Draco Malfoy was the son of the young man from the forest as he had the scent of a Veela. It wouldn't surprise me because they looked very much alike. I had always wondered what happened to Lucius.

"Where are we going now?"

I turned to find Harry watching me with an eyebrow raised because it was so rare that I dazed out like that. "To get your clothes. Come along." With that, I led the way to Madam Malkin's.

When we arrived, Draco was trying on his robes.

"Hello again." He smiled cheerfully at us.

"It's a pleasure to see you so soon," Hermione replied.

"What House do the two of you think you're going to be in?" Draco asked, picking up the conversation from the bookstore.

It would be interesting if Harry and Draco became friends, and even more so if Hermione became friends with Draco as well.

"I think either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," Hermione replied.

"I think you would be better suited for Ravenclaw as smart as you seem."

"That depends on where they think we'd be best suited for."

"True." Draco nodded his head, "And you?" he turned to Harry.

"Gryffindor or Slytherin."

"You don't want to go into Slytherin!" a new voice interrupted. "They're all followers of You-Know-Who."

We all turned to find a red headed boy who could have very easily passed for Bill's younger brother. I remembered hearing from someone that the Weasleys were a very large family, so this boy probably was.

"And you are?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. I almost laughed because she was doing an excellent impression of Severus at that moment.

"Ron Weasley."

"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Weasley, the other Houses were well represented amongst his followers. Besides, who would want to be on the same side as the people who looked down on you for being in the Noble House of Slytherin?" I cut in.

"Those that did were all from Dark families. Look at Sirius Black!"

"If I recall correctly, and I always do, Mr. Black did not receive a trial of any sort. How are we to know if he killed those people or not. For all you know, it was Pettigrew who committed the crime and Black was merely framed."

"There were witnesses!" Ronald's face was pretty close to matching his hair by this point.

"Sod the witnesses! Witnesses can be mistaken!" I took a deep breath and continued, "I refuse to argue with a _child_ about matters he does not understand. If you will excuse me." I turned my back on him and continued shopping for Harry and Hermione.

"Mum! That woman over there said that Sirius Black might be innocent! Go over and tell her she's wrong!" The boy was in the back of the store whispering loudly to a plump woman.

"You know you said you might be in Slytherin, well, I more than likely will be there. Almost all of my family has been there for centuries." Draco pulled off the robe he had been trying on. "It would be interesting to have someone I don't know end up there."

"You know everyone in Slytherin?" Hermione asked.

"Acquainted with is more like it," Draco corrected.

"All right, who's next?" Madam Malkin helped Draco off the stool and glanced around.

"I guess that would be me." Hermione stepped up.

"Who is she?" I found a strikingly beautiful blond woman standing near Draco. "Allow me to introduce myself. Narcissa Malfoy. I'm Draco's mother." She held out her hand, and I shook it. For a well brought up woman, she had a good, firm handshake, not like the fish that most women are likely to give because they are trying to appear dainty.

"A child I found several years ago."

"Muggleborn?"

"I'm not sure." Okay, that was a lie, but I couldn't tell the truth because too many other secrets would be exposed in the process. "She was adopted by muggle parents with nothing said about her birth parents."

"If you don't mind my asking, how old was she when you found her?"

"Not at all, she was just about a year old."

"I see. And she was raised with pureblood traditions?"

"Respect for your elders, upholding the Wizarding way of life, dancing, language, the arts, and anything else that would make a refined young lady."

"So in the end, there would be no muggle influence on her life?"

"Enough so that she understands how they operate and could function amongst them if she had to. But from what I can tell, she has no desire to live in that world."

"I see. Ignoring her blood, she would fit well into our world."

"Perhaps too much attention is paid to bloodlines."

She pondered that for a moment, "Perhaps you're right."

"I always am."

A note fluttered into my hand and I opened it.

_Am going to get Harry a present. I will deliver it tonight._

_Don't tell him about anything._

_S.S._

Closing my hand around the note, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. A quick check told me that Severus had gone to get Harry an owl.

Hermione appeared at my elbow, and Harry got up on the stool.

Hermione's eyes shown because this was one more step on her way to becoming a student and learning things I refused to teach her. Hey, why teach it when they're going to learn it anyway?

I watched him carefully to ensure he had no panic attacks while being measured. It wasn't that he'd had one lately, it's just that he wasn't used to having strange people touch him. He remained calm throughout the entire process, of which I was very thankful for. After a few moments, Harry climbed down and crossed the room.

"Okay. If Harry's finished, we'll go get the wands." At my words, both of them got extremely excited.

All the way over to Ollivander's both Harry and Hermione could hardly keep from running down the street.

"Calm down We'll be there soon enough." I laughed as Hermione shook her head.

I raised an eyebrow at her, and she grinned.

The door jangled as we entered a seemingly empty shop, but I could hear a heart beating so I knew it wasn't as deserted as it appeared.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out.

There was the sound of a ladder sliding along a shelf. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Potter." A white haired man climbed off the ladder and walked over to the counter.

Harry glanced at me nervously then turned back to Mr. Ollivander.

"Now, let's see." He pulled out a wand box.

"Wait, try the eleven and a half inch holly with phoenix feather core," I said.

He looked at me over his glasses, "Are you sure?"

"Try it."

"Very well." He disappeared behind a stack of wands. After a few minutes of searching, he pulled out a long thin box. "Here we go."

Harry took the wand out of the box, and sparks flew out of the tip.

"Curious. Very curious." Mr. Ollivander raised his eyebrows.

"Excuse me, but what's curious?" Harry asked hesitantly. I placed my hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"It's curious that you should be destined for that wand when its brother gave you that scar. You see the phoenix whose feather resides in your wand, gave one other feather, just one other. I think we can expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. You-Know-Who did great thing. Terrible, but great."

"Now, who's next?"

Hermione stepped forward, and Mr. Ollivander took out his tape measure.

"Do you know which one for her?" Mr. Ollivander looked at me

"Eleven inch oak with dragon heartstring."

Mr. Ollivander tried just that, and the wand chose its master. "Strong and resilient. Good for dueling."

"Hermione had better not be doing any dueling until she's much older." I was horrified that the wand chose such a young mistress.

"How about you?" He raised one eyebrow at me.

"May as well."

"Do you know which one?"

"No, I can't See it." Something was blocking my vision. It was like I wasn't supposed to know that.

"Very well." He pulled out several boxes and had me try each one. After about ten wands, he pulled out another one from a dusty stack. "Try this one."

Tentatively, I held out my hand and took the wand. Immediately warmth spread up my arm, and the wand shot sparks out of its tip.

"Interesting."

"What is?"

"That wand is an unusual combination. Ebony and unicorn hair willingly given. This kind of ebony is one of the strongest woods around, and is often associated with Dark wizards, while the unicorn is the purist of creatures. I never thought that wand would be chosen because of that, especially someone at your age."

"So basically, I'm dark and strong on the outside and pure on the inside?"

"It can also mean that you do dark things but with pure motives. Unicorn is often used for healing, but I doubt you will do much of that with this wand."

I didn't know what to say to that. I had murdered people and kidnapped children and a host of other crimes. But each one had been done to help another person.

Quietly, we all left the shop. On our way out, we ran into Draco, Narcissa, and Severus.

"You already get your wands?" Draco asked.

"Yes." Hermione indicated the boxes in hers and Harry's hands.

"Draco, we had best get going, your father is waiting," Narcissa placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Excuse us," she said with a smile.

"See you on the train." With that, Draco disappeared into the store.

There was a furrow in Harry's brow that I couldn't help but asking about as we walked down the street toward The Leaky Cauldron.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Does that mean I'm like Voldemort? That I really am evil?"

"No, Harry, you're not evil. You are simply powerful like he is, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it may give us an advantage in the coming war."

"So you're not angry with me?"

"Why would I be angry with you?"

"Because I got a wand that was so much like his."

"Why would I be angry about that?"

"Because you hate him!"

"Yes I hate him but, I'm not angry with you. The wand chooses the master, not the other way around." I paused for a few moments. "You worry too much." I wrapped my arms around him. "Life's too short to waste your time doing that."

"Leave that to you?" He smirked at me.

"Exactly."

There was something off with me, so once we returned home, I tried to work on finding the Horcruxes. But I couldn't keep my mind on what I was doing. There was an enormous emptiness inside me that seemed to vacuum all of my thoughts away, leaving only a void. I heard Severus arrive with Harry's present, but I tuned out their conversation.

Finally, I closed my books and rolled up my scrolls. Once everything was straightened up, I walked outside and looked up at the moon. The wind blew softly against my skin and stirred my short hair.

I had never felt so lonely before. Even the time before Regulus had come to live with me couldn't compare to the hole that was in my heart. I knew that the only thing that could fill it was a mate. But I couldn't search for one yet. I needed to keep my entire focus on the mission at hand. Once the war was over, I would put my attention on that, but not now.

Soledad swooped down and landed on my shoulder, and I absentmindedly stroked her feathers.


	18. The Train

**Harry**

September 1 dawned much sooner than I could have dreamed possible. I was going to attend the school where my father taught. The fact that I wouldn't be able to acknowledge that put a bit of a damper on things, but it didn't do much to quell my enthusiasm.

My mum had gone to this school when she was a child. I would be walking the very halls she did. In a small way, it made me feel more connected to her.

There were still times when I wondered what would have happened if she didn't die. Would she, dad, and I have been a family? Would I have been a big brother? I knew that the answers to these questions were probably all "yes." That's what hurt so much. Because one man decided he was going to rule the world, my mother and James were dead.

"Come, on! We don't want to miss the train!" Hermione grabbed my hand and rushed us to the Apparition point of Wainwright.

"You have a good half hour before you have to be there, slow down," Elizabeth drawled from behind us. She had our trunks levitated beside her. "Forgetting something?" She was wearing a floor length black trench coat along with her usual black clothing. Her hair was also a little longer than usual.

"Behave and don't let any pigheaded people push you around!" Reginald called after us.

"Okay. Bye!" Hermione and I waved to him.

He waved back and disappeared back inside.

"Ready? Hang on!" The words had barely left her mouth before we were sucked into the "tube of death" as Hermione affectionately called Apparating. "Everyone okay?" Elizabeth's voice broke through to us.

"Remind me again, why are we too good to use cars?" Hermione moaned as she doubled over.

"Because this way is quicker, more uncomfortable I'll grant you, but much quicker. Come on, time to get on board." We followed her and she loaded our trunks onto the train. "Try not to make too many enemies, pass your classes, make good friends, and _don't_ get killed." She hugged us and stepped back. "Love you both."

Hermione led us to a compartment and we leaned out the window to wave at Elizabeth. She gave a small smile and waved back.

The train whistled and clouds of steam started rolling from the wheels. I looked out at Elizabeth. She was standing so still she could have past for a statue except that her hair and clothes were stirring in the breeze. There was no hint of any emotion on her face and I knew it was because she didn't want us to know what she was feeling. If someone who knew what vampires really looked like had seen her in that moment, they would know almost exactly what she was. She raised her hand once more then turned on her heel and walked away, her coat billowing out behind her.

In a few minutes, the platform disappeared and we could see the English countryside gliding swiftly past us. Waves of excitement washed over me and it was all I could do to stay still. We were on our way to Hogwarts.

"C-can I sit here?" we both turned to find a pudgy boy with a toad in his hands standing in the doorway.

"Sure." Hermione smiled and indicated the bench.

"Thanks. Everywhere else is full." He walked in very nervously, glancing at us as if he was expecting us to kick him out at any moment. He was clearly used to being rejected and made fun of. That made me sad because he seemed like he was such a nice boy. Elizabeth had told us to make friends, so why not start with him?

"What's your name?" Hermione asked.

"Neville Longbottom."

"I'm Hermione Granger and this is Harry. He's my adopted brother."

"Is that your pet?" I asked before he could ask about my last name.

"Yeah, my uncle got him for me. I wanted a cat or an owl, but-" He broke off, embarrassed.

"I think he's neat. I don't think I've ever seen a toad that huge before." I told him and he smiled in response.

"His name's Trevor. Do you have any pets?"

"Hermione and I are sharing an owl named Hedwig until Hermione finds a pet that suits her."

"At least you'll be able to write home."

"You can use her sometimes if you would like." Hermione seemed anxious about making Neville feel comfortable.

"Thanks." After a pause, he asked, "What House would you like to be in?"

"Slytherin," was my reply.

"Why?" he seemed shocked.

"Because I think I would fit in better there than any other House." I had done some reading and decided that the House of the Serpent would more than likely be the best fit for me.

"What about you?" he turned to Hermione.

"Probably Ravenclaw. And you?"

"I'd like to be in Gryffindor because both my parents were in it, but my uncle says I'll probably be in Hufflepuff."

"There's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff. From what I've read, they are the most loyal friends to have and you definitely want them to have your back." Hermione said.

"You've got that right." A handsome boy older than us was standing just outside the door. He seemed friendly enough. "You mind if I sit with you?"

"Go right ahead."

"I'm Cedric Diggory by the way and I happen to be in Hufflepuff. Are you all first years?"

"Yes. I'm Hermione Granger."

"Neville Longbottom."

"Harry."

Cedric raised an eyebrow slightly at my lack of a last name but didn't question it. "So, you might be a Puff?" he asked Neville.

"Yeah."

"There's nothing wrong with that. We may be all about courage, smarts, or cunning like the other Houses are, though there are plenty of smart people in our house, but we are very loyal. And among friends, there's nothing better than that."

Neville smiled, "Then, I guess it wouldn't be so horrible to be a Hufflepuff. In fact, I might like it there if I'm put in there."

"You just might," Cedric laughed. He seemed like the kind of boy who would take you under his wing if he felt you needed it: exactly the kind of person Neville needed. It was easy to see why Cedric was in Hufflepuff.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" an older woman had a cart with an assortment of sweets on it.

"Four of each." She handed me four bags full and I gave her the coins. "Here." I handed them all out to the others in the compartment.

They murmured their thanks and we ate our sweets slowly. Every once in a while, one of us would make a remark about something or other and we would talk about that for a while, but for the most part, we were quiet.

"You know what I heard?" the red headed boy from Madam Malkins poked his head in the door.

"What did you hear?" Hermione asked dryly.

"I heard that we have to fight a troll in order to be sorted!" he walked away all self-important.

Cedric laughed.

"Don't worry," Hermione told Neville. "We have to put a hat on our head and it reads our minds. That's how they sort us."

"Are you sure?" Neville asked.

"Yes. I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History_."

We shared a laugh over the red head's stupidity.

"He must be the Weasley twins' younger brother," Cedric said. "They would definitely do something like this to him."

"We're almost there. I think we should change into our robes." Hermione pulled hers out of her bag and left the compartment.

I decided to follow her example and left as well.

A few minutes later we were all dressed.

The excitement I had felt earlier had nothing on what I was feeling now. It was as though I was literally floating from the adrenaline pumping through my body. I glanced over at Neville and Hermione and it appeared they were feeling similarly.

"We will be arriving in five minutes." A voice spoke over an invisible intercom.

By this point, Hermione was bouncing in her seat. After what seemed like a lifetime, the train finally slowed to a stop.

"Leave your luggage on the train. It will be taken to your dorms," a voice spoke over the invisible intercoms.

"Well, firsties, this is it." Cedric smiled at us as we left the train. "I'll see you at the Sorting. Good luck."

"Firs' years over here!" a huge man with what looked like a brown mane all over his head and face called as he swung a lantern.

Hermione, Neville, and I walked over to him.

"Alright now, four to a boat." He directed us to where a bunch of boats were tied up and everyone followed his instructions.

We found ourselves in a boat with an olive skinned boy who introduced himself as Blaise Zabini. Blaise turned out to be a quiet boy who studied everything with keen, dark eyes. He would definitely be in Slytherin.

"Watch yer head now!" the big man called.

We ducked and as our boats came through the ivy, we caught sight of the most magnificent castle. Lights shone from just about every window and glimmered like stars in their reflection on the water.

This was it.


	19. The Sorting

AN: I changed one key plot detail: Harry and Hermione have no idea who Regulus really is. They think he is Reginald Mason.

(HermPOV)

This was it. We walked through the doors into a hallway as large, but not as lavish, as the foyer at Wainwright.

"I'll take them from here, Hagrid," an austere woman with her black hair in a tight bun on the back of her head said primly.

"Right then, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid nodded and left us with her.

She led us up a flight of stairs and turned to face us.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is very important ceremony because, while you are here, your Houses will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few moments in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while waiting. Remain here for a few moments." Her gaze lingered on a few students as she left the room. Apparently they were the ones who she thought needed to straighten themselves up a little.

I glanced over at Harry and found that he was looking at me.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he whispered nervously.

"We'll be just fine, I know it. Elizabeth wouldn't have let us go if we weren't going to be."

"We're ready for you now. Come along," Professor McGonagall announced.

We trailed behind the professor as she led us into the ceiling-less hall. I had read about the enchantments on this room, but had never imagined it would look like this.

"Wow." Harry breathed beside me.

"Yeah, I know right?"

We stopped and lined up in front of a stool with a dilapidated hat. The Sorting Hat. I had read about it in _Hogwarts, a History_.

After it sang a ridiculous song that I didn't pay much attention to, Professor McGonagall started calling names A-Z.

"Granger, Hermione."

"Okay, relax," I whispered to myself. This was it. This would decide the fate of my Hogwarts career.

"Mental, that on, I'm telling you." the red-head boy from the store muttered to his friend.

I sat on the stool and the Hat was put onto my head.

_Brilliant, loyal, brave, and cunning._ I heard the Hat's voice in my head_ Oh, where to put you? You are well suited for Slytherin but perfect for…_"Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindors cheered for me as I made my way over to the House of Red and Gold. Regulus wouldn't be too happy with me for ending up as a Lion, but Elizabeth would probably tell him to shut it.

(HPPOV)

"Potter, Harry."

Whispers broke out amongst the students as everyone tried to get a good look at me.

"Did you know Harry was on the train?"

"Did you know that he was Harry?"

"He's going to be in Gryffindor so I don't know why they're even bothering to Sort him."

Professor McGonagall placed the Hat on my head and it started to whisper to me.

_Hmm. Very difficult. Yet, perhaps the easiest to Sort. You have the qualities of every House so it's not a matter of fitting in; it's where you would fit in best. Hmm, I know just what to do with you… _"Slytherin!"

Dead silence. Then wild cheering from the Slytherin table.

"We got Potter!"

"Take that Gryffindor!"

"The best students to the best House!"

I glanced over at Neville at the Hufflepuff table and saw that he and Cedric were clapping for me.

I couldn't help but look over at my father. He was clapping for me. His lips pulled up slightly at the corners and I was happy.

(DMPOV)

I couldn't believe it! The supposed Gryffindor Golden Boy was a Slytherin! I glanced over at the Gryffindor table.

Harry sat down next to me.

"Draco Malfoy." I held out my hand.

"Harry Potter." He shook it.

"Never would have guessed you would end up in this House."

"When you're raised by someone who, if they had gone to Hogwarts, would have been in Slytherin, well-" he smiled ruefully.

"Weren't you raised by your muggle relatives?"

"Until I was eight." He turned back to his food.

I had a feeling there was more to the tale than he was willing to tell and I couldn't help but wonder what it was.

(AlbusPOV)

I couldn't help but clap as Harry made his way to his father's table. A quick glance at Severus told me that he was smiling, but only slightly. He couldn't give away that he cared about Harry more so than most people deemed necessary.

After the students fell to their meals, Minerva hissed to me, "What is the meaning of this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Both parents were in my House, everyone was setting him up to be a Gryffindor."

"Maybe we should stop looking at what House the parents were in and look at the child. Look at the Longbottom boy," Severus broke in. "Most of his family has been in Gryffindor for centuries and here he is in Hufflepuff."

"I quite agree with Severus. Students often feel that they have to go to a particular House because of their parents. Clearly Harry was more Slytherin than Gryffindor." I spooned some luscious looking treacle tart onto my plate and began eating.

(CedricPOV)

I couldn't believe it. I had ridden most of the way to Hogwarts with him and he hadn't said anything about being Harry Potter.

It's not that I was angry at him, just shocked. Though if I was him I would have hidden my identity as long as I could too.

Well, now it looked like I had a friend from Slytherin.

"I never guessed he was Harry," Neville breathed.

"Me either."

"What do you mean?" Kenneth, a boy cattycorner from me asked.

"We sat with Harry on the train," I replied.

"Was he evil like all Slytherins?"

"No. He was really nice. A little quiet, but friendly enough," I told him.

"He and Hermione were the ones who convinced me that not being in Gryffindor wasn't so bad."

"Yeah. It's not that they talked bad about it, it's just that they went over the pros of all the Houses," I informed them.

"The Hat didn't even consider Gryffindor. It was a toss between this or Ravenclaw," Neville said.

(HermPOV)

I was a little sad about not being in the same House as Harry, but my new House was nice enough.

It turns out Bill had three brothers already in Gryffindor. The twins were humorous to be around and Percy was a little uptight, but nice enough.

My House was a pleasant contrast to home. They were a boisterous lot and always talking about pranking someone.

The only things I didn't like were that they hated Slytherin and Severus. I defended them as much as I could without being too noticeable.

The only one who seemed really angry was Ronald Weasley. "Can you believe it? He got Sorted into that House! That's the House You-Know-Who was in!"

"Just because someone is cunning doesn't make them evil," I said.

"Oh, yeah? What does it make them then?" he challenged.

"Smarter than you." I ignored him and went back to my meal.

"Poor wittle Ronnikins-" Fred or George started.

"Got told off by a girl," George or Fred finished.

"So, did the Hat consider putting you in any other House?" Percy asked.

"It said I was well suited for Slytherin, but perfect for Gryffindor."

"Wicked! We've got a Slytherin in our midst!" Fred, I was finally able to tell them apart because Fred had a tiny mole on the left side corner of his nose, said.

"Well, go sit over at the Slytherin table," Ronald snorted.

"Why would we want her to do that?" George whacked his brother up side the head.

(HPPOV)

I enjoyed my new House much more than I had anticipated.

Without Hermione, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to make any friends, but as it turns out, it was easier than I thought it would be.

For the most part, I got along with my Housemates, but there were some idiots in it. Namely, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. I wanted to throw Parkinson off the highest tower if I had to hear her talk about my scar one more time. Or better yet, give her to Elizabeth to terrify. That would be interesting to watch.

The only bad thing about this whole situation was the fact that Hermione and I were sorted into rival Houses. Then again the only siblings to be Sorted into the same House were the Weasleys and Hermione and I weren't even related. We would just have to work with this situation. In fact, it might be good having someone behind "enemy lines" so to speak.


	20. A Job Undone

**Elizabeth**

Now that the children were gone, I could focus on finding the Horcruxes again and I had a pretty good idea where to look next.

In Little Hangleton, there had lived a Marvolo Gaunt some fifty years earlier. Marvolo was not a muggle name so I decided to check it out. After a little digging, I discovered that he was the last known wizarding descendant of Salazar Slytherin and he had two children. The girl, Merope, fell in love with a rich muggle by the name of Tom Riddle. From what I gathered, she used some sort of enchantment, presumably a love potion on him. After the enchantment was removed, he left her without knowing that she carried his child. That child, Tom Marvolo Riddle, grew up to be Lord Voldemort.

If I wasn't mistaken, the Dark Lord would have taken something else that belonged to his family and turned it into a Horcrux. I knew about the locket, but I had a feeling there was another, something a little more personal.

It was unfortunate that I couldn't exactly See where the Horcruxes were. There were some wards around them that prevented me from Seeing where he put them. That and Dark Magic and I really didn't get along very well.

"So, you're going out?" Regulus asked me one night as he found me on his way to the library.

"Yeah. I think I may have found something in regards to a Horcrux."

"You want me to go along?"

"No. I'll be fine. But it wouldn't hurt if you did some research on where the others might be or what they are. Anything that Tom Riddle may have coveted or some place that he valued, something personal."

"Will do. Be safe." He gave me a hug then went his way.

Little Hangleton was silent that time of the night. Dogs howled and cats hissed at me as I glided past them. I smirked. As if they could hurt me. It was strange that animals could pick up on a vampire while our intended prey was drawn to us like moths to a flame.

There, on the outside of the town, was a rundown hovel. As I approached it, I could feel the Dark Magic radiating from the Horcrux. Inwardly, I recoiled from the Dark Magic, but I had to do what needed to be done.

The gate looked too decrepit to open so I leaped over the fence. Weeds taller than I was nearly obscured the door and completely covered whatever pathway there had been. When I reached the front door, I found the bones of a snake were nailed to it. Creepy, just like the Dark Lord.

By the looks of things no one had been here in fifty years, but there was a faint scent clinging to the inside of the house that told me otherwise. The Dark Lord had indeed been here since the deaths of his family.

As I entered the house, the Dark Magic began pulsing around me. There, in the center of the floor, was the origin.

I pulled the floorboards up and pulled out the box. After I pried it open, I drew my knife and stabbed the ring. With a scream of agony, the Horcrux died and the curse that was protecting the ring faded into nothingness.

Now that it was not polluted with Dark Magic, I could feel another kind of Magic rippling from it. It was extremely powerful, not entirely good, but not necessarily evil, almost like it had been created by one of my kind. I knew it wasn't, but that was the level of power.

Whatever this was, it had to be kept away from the Dark Lord. If he discovered what it really was—not even I knew that exactly—it could cause more problems than it was worth. Carefully, I slipped the ring on my right hand and replaced everything else exactly the way it was before I arrived.

As soon as I was finished, I glided away from the place.

For weeks people spoke of the scream they had heard from the old Gaunt place and the shadow that had been seen leaving soon after. No one dared go near it to investigate what it was. Too bad I didn't wait for Halloween because that would have made one fright of a night.

When I arrived home, I found Regulus elbow deep in parchments and books. I doubted he heard me come in, so I ghosted up behind him and asked, "Did you find anything?"

"Whoa." He jumped, "Don't do that to me!"

"Sorry. Well, did you?"

"I have a list of possible places and a few things, but that's it." He handed me a sheet of paper.

_Bellatrix's vault_

_Malfoys' possibly_

_Black family home-Locket_

_Hogwarts-any ideas as to what or where?_

_Personal effects of V_

_Founders belongings?_

"The vault and the Black family home shouldn't be too hard for you to get into. As for the other two, especially Hogwarts, they are going to be rather difficult, especially since we have no idea what we're looking for," I said after had I read the list.

"When do we go?" Regulus asked. There was a fire in his eyes that I had not seen in quite some time. We were finally working on what he had started so long ago.

"We can't go any time soon. We need to let this one cool before going after another one."

"What do you mean?"

"If we destroy too many at once, wherever he is, he might feel it. We need to wait a little because for one, we don't know where the one in Hogwarts is or what it is. Speaking of Horcruxes what about Harry?"

"I haven't found anything. It seems that the only way to separate them is death."

"We can't let that happen. It would kill Severus if Harry died. He loves Lily to this day and Harry is all he has left of her."

"Can't you See anything?"

"I See him living to be an old man and the Dark Lord is gone, but I don't know how. It's like there's this gap between now and them that is just blank."

"Well, maybe you can't See it yet because it hasn't happened yet."

"That's a lot of help," I muttered disparagingly.

"Well, what's the best way to counteract Dark Magic?"

"Love. Now you're starting to sound like Dumbld-" I broke off and stared at him for a few seconds. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute! Maybe that old coot's idea will work, but how exactly?"

"You're the conductor of this train, you tell me."

"It was your idea, so you come up with a solution. Great, now we're arguing like five-year-olds."

"You look like a five-year-old." Regulus grinned impishly.

"I'm not even going to go there." I turned my attention to the scrolls Regulus had spread out in front of him. "What else are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie. I know not all of that can be about Horcruxes. What is it?"

"When I first came to live here, I wrote down everything I could remember about what the Dark Lord said about certain objects so I could have some idea as to what to look for."

"Any luck?"

"I think so, I'm just not sure. I have some clues, just not many. Most were items belonging to the Founders, but that's about all I have right now."

"That's not all, is it? It looks like there's more here than that."

"I've been trying to figure out what happened with Sirius. I _know_ he wasn't a Death Eater. It was a topic of frequent discussion around the dinner table before we really knew what the Dark Lord stood for. My parents were always trying to convince him to join the Dark Lord. These are the lists of possible suspects. Most of them couldn't really be, but I can't think of Sirius betraying his closest friend that way."

"I wish I could See that, but somehow I can't." Sometimes, my own ability turned against me, but then again, no one should be all powerful, not even me.

"Their Secret Keeper gave them away so that could possibly be warding you from Seeing who it was."

_Secret Keeper_. Suddenly it all seemed very clear to me, "Wasn't Peter Pettigrew killed that night?"

"Yes." Regulus didn't seem to understand what I was getting at.

"What if Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper and Sirius set himself up to make people think _he_ was the Secret Keeper?"

"What?" Regulus looked at me as though I'd lost my mind.

"Wait, just let me finish. What if Pettigrew was a Death Eater but no one knew it and he faked his death because he knew everyone believed Sirius was the Keeper?"

"How could he?"

"All they found of him was a finger. The only witnesses were muggles, weren't they?"

"Yes." His eyes lit up. "He could have hidden his wand behind his back and the muggles would have had no idea what it really was!"

"Exactly. I believe Pettigrew's alive; somewhere."

"How do we bring him out?"

"Sirius." That fat, little man was going to have an aneurism when Sirius escaped and I wanted to be there to see it.

"What?" He was confused again.

"I've Seen that Sirius will escape Azkaban. Once Pettigrew comes out of hiding, I think I may be able to prove that Sirius was innocent without having to catch Pettigrew."

"How?"

"Lily's letter to Severus. She mentioned something about them being betrayed, but that she couldn't say by whom due to the Charms. If I just show that paragraph about the Secret Keeper, they won't need to know all about Severus's and Lily's relationship and subsequent child. That and if I see him, they'll have to believe me."

"Will that be enough?"

"It may be enough to grant him a fair trial with Veriteserum. At least as long as Umbitch and Fudge stay out of the way."

"Are you sure?"

"Not entirely. But, if I can convince Dumbledore then we may have a chance. We just have to wait for him to escape."

"Escape! From Azkaban? Are you crazy? No one escapes from Azkaban! No one! You know that."

"This _is_ Sirius we're talking about."

"That's true, but I doubt even he can pull off an escape like that."

"Don't bet against it."


	21. Rival Seekers

**Hermione**

School settled into a routine rather quickly for me. Breakfast, classes, lunch classes, study with Harry, dinner, study with Harry, Astronomy on Wednesday nights, and bed.

Some of the other Gryffindors had a problem with Harry and I being together so much, especially Ronald Weasley.

"Why do you hang out with that slimy snake so much? You spend more time with him than you do your own House," he complained one evening after I came in right before curfew after one of my study sessions with Harry.

"Because he actually has something between his ears besides Quidditch. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bed." I left him sputtering in the common room.

The next morning was flying class. Harry and I didn't really need it, but it was necessary for all First Years to have it, so I dutifully went to the lesson. It was Gryffindor and Slytherin with the Houses lined up facing each other.

I was standing across from Harry and we looked at each other and rolled our eyes, both at the way the Houses were divided and the fact that we could already fly quite well.

"Welcome to your first flying lesson," Madam Hooch said. "Well, what are you waiting for? Stick your right hand over the broom and say "Up!""

After we were given our instructions of what to do, a tiny Gryffindor girl's broom shot straight into the air and started do acrobatics. The little girl struggled to hang on, but was fighting a losing battle.

Without even thinking, Harry and I leaped onto our brooms and took off after her. When Harry was on one side of her and I was on the other, we grabbed both her and the broom. The broom started bucking wildly and zooming around, but we kept up with it.

After a few difficult maneuvers, we got her safely to the ground sans her broom.

Madam Hooch ran over to us. "I have never seen something so reckless in my entire career. However, since your actions saved the life of another student, five points to Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"Mr. Potter."

"Miss Granger."

Harry and I turned to find our Heads of Houses standing there. Slowly we made our way over to them. The looks on their faces told us they had seen the whole thing, but beyond that, their expressions were unreadable.

They led us into opposite directions. Behind us, I could hear the snickering of the rest of the students, particularly Weasley. I wanted to punch him in the face and bloody his nose or better yet, break it.

I followed Professor McGonagall for what seemed like hours even though in reality it was only a few minutes. She stopped outside the Defense Against Nothing class room.

"Professor Quirrell, may I borrow Wood for a moment?"

"Y-yes, of course," the turban man stuttered.

A handsome, stocky Fourth Year strode over to Professor McGonagall and looked at her expectantly.

"Wood, I have found you a Seeker!" Professor McGonagall all but squealed.

He stared at me for a few seconds while it registered in both our heads what she was saying. He seemed a little surprised that she had chosen someone so young.

"Seeker?" I squeaked.

"Unless of course you'd rather not be." Suddenly, she seemed unsure of herself.

"No! No! I'd love to be!" So this is what Elizabeth was acting all mysterious about! She had seen it coming!

"That's settled." She was very pleased with herself. "Considering your flying capabilities, it would be a safe bet that you already know the rules of the game."

"Yes, ma'am I do."

Satisfied, she strode away leaving me with Wood.

**Harry**

I enjoyed my classes for the most part, except for what Hermione called Defense Against Nothing. In that class, especially when Quirrell's back was turned, my scar started to hurt.

When I told Dad about it, he got a worried look on his face and told me to tell him every time it hurt.

Some of my Housemates gave me a little ribbing about spending so much time with Hermione, but I told them that since she's really smart I would make better marks by studying with her. After that, they left me alone.

Our first flying lesson was a complete disaster, at least at first. When I heard Dad say, "Mr. Potter," I was sure that I was going to be sent home.

He led me to his office and closed the door behind him. He was silent for a few seconds as he rubbed his fingers against his temples. "What were you thinking?"

"There was something wrong with her broom and she was going to fall off and hurt herself if we didn't help her." He had to understand that I didn't disobey on purpose, but I was trying to help someone.

"You're so much like your mother." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice as he shook his head. "She was always trying to help other people. Even those others said weren't worth her time."

"What are you going to do?" Better get this out of the way quickly before he got lost in his memories of my mother.

"Well—now don't expect this treatment every time you don't follow the rules—I'm going to make you the Seeker of the Slytherin House team if you'd like."

"Are you serious? But what about Terrance?" I loved playing Quidditch, but I also liked the Seventh Year Seeker and didn't want him angry with me for taking his position.

"He suffered a serious head injury last season courtesy of the Gryffindor Beaters and Madam Pomfrey told me to find another Seeker as soon as possible, because it wouldn't be wise for him to keep playing. Even with magic, it will never completely heal. In fact, Terrance asked me just this morning if I'd found a replacement for him because flying no longer agrees with him."

"'K good. I don't want him mad at me."

"Now, you'd better go, I believe you have a class directly after this. Oh, and, Harry, do at least attempt to stay out of trouble. Next time I won't be so lenient on you."

"Yes, sir." I scurried away. It wouldn't do to be late to Professor Flitwick's class. As tiny as he was, he could be terrifying when angry.

I slid into my seat between Draco and Blaise three minutes before class started.

"What did Professor Snape want?" Blaise whispered. Draco leaned over to hear my reply.

"He made me Seeker."

"What?" Draco's eyes went wide.

"What about Terrance?" Blaise asked. I wasn't the only one who liked him.

"He got hurt last year so they need a new Seeker."

"Wicked!" they whispered at the same time.

"I only hope Hermione didn't get into too much trouble." I glanced around but couldn't find her anywhere.

"I wonder where the two of you learned to fly like that," Blaise mused aloud.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because, I would love to be able to do some of those moves," he replied.

"I just did what felt right."

Right before class started, Hermione walked in. I studied her face and she seemed to be very happy, so I guess she didn't get into trouble after all.

After class Hermione ambushed me on our way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Guess what?" she was practically bouncing as she spoke.

"What?"

"I'm the new Gryffindor Seeker!"

"Really? I'm the new Slytherin one!"

"Ooh, we're going to be playing against each other!"

"Now we'll really get to see who's the better one." The rivalry was back on. Now, it would just be on a bigger playing field, literally.

"Granger, you'd better not be telling team secrets. We can't have him going to Flint," a stocky fourth year with a Scottish burr said as he walked over to us. He didn't really seem to be angry, just reminding her of where her loyalties should be.

"Don't worry. Neither of us wants to give the other team an advantage even though she _knows_ I'm the better Seeker," I smirked at her and she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Are you on the Slytherin team?" the boy asked.

"Yes, I'm their new Seeker."

"Oh, Harry, this is Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Captain and Keeper."

"What happened to Terrance?"

"Professor Snape said that he got hit in the head last season so he could no longer play."

"Just don't give them anything they can use against us," Oliver said to Hermione. With a nod to me, he strode away.

"I was so afraid he was going to say that we couldn't be friends anymore." She sighed with relief.

"Why would he say that?" Okay I was confused.

"Some of the others were saying that I would tell you things and you would tell Flint."

"Why would you do that? You're on their team. You want them to win." Did they really think she would try to sabotage the team she played with?

"That's what Wood said."

"Honestly, Gryffindors can be so thick sometimes."

"And Slytherins aren't?" Hermione gave me a cheeky smile.

"Okay, everyone can be thick sometimes," I conceded.

"Sometime I'd like to go to see the Harpies play." Hermione changed to a more neutral subject.

"Did you see that move their Keeper made when Puddlemere sent both Bludgers and the Quaffle at her?"

"Yeah, she was like this way and then this way and then that." Hermione made the movements as she spoke.

"I know, she completely knocked Puddlemere out of the water with those moves. Even if the Harpies hadn't caught the Snitch, there was still no way Puddlemere could have won."

"I want to join them when I graduate."

"I want to see if I can learn how to move like her. That would be so cool. We can totally use those moves."

"Were you sharing team secrets?" We spun around to find Wood standing behind us with Ronald Weasley at his elbow. Weasley looked as though he believed he was someone very important.

The rest of the team was standing behind Wood. There were varying degrees of disbelief and slight anger on their faces.

"Yeah, Hermione said something about something you'd said."

"She was telling me that she was afraid that she couldn't be my friend anymore because it would make the team mad but you said as long as we didn't share team strategies we could be friends." Stupid little Weasel. Next time Draco calls him that, I'm not going to get angry. In fact I'm totally going to tell him about this.

"Well what was all that just now?" Weasel demanded.

"We were talking about the Hollyhead Harpies vs. Puddlemere United game," I replied. Honestly. Why would anyone talk about team strategy out where everyone can see them? We weren't that stupid.

"Oh, when Puddlemere tried to get the Quaffle in, but the Harpies Keeper managed to stop it and dodge the Bludgers at the same time?" Wood asked.

"Yes."

He looked between the two of us, and then said, "Weasley, you really need to be sure of your facts before you make an accusation. I'm sorry about."

"Yeah, Ronnikins, we need a Seeker and we can't have Wood bludgeoning this one too," one of the Weasley twins said. Something told me he was joking about Wood bludgeoning the Seeker.

"It's okay. You were misinformed," Hermione replied.

Hermione and I turned and headed on down to the Great Hall.


	22. The Search Continues

**Edward**

My daughter had been missing for fifteen years now. Wherever she was, she had hidden herself so well that no one, not even the Volturi had any idea where she was and Aro kept his guards looking for her whenever they went out. There wasn't the slightest whisper of her anywhere or the faintest trace of her scent anywhere. It was as if she had never existed.

Where had she gone? Out of desperation I sometimes took to searching the thoughts of random people as I passed them on the street just to see if they had seen anything of her. Of course, I found nothing.

Nessie often thought about all the things Elizabeth was missing out on in the life of little Masen Black. Jake and Nessie couldn't have been prouder of their son and Nessie's twin wasn't involved in the boy's life in any way.

She was becoming desperate to find her sister. We all were.

"Where do you think she would go?" Rosalie asked. It was a question that had been repeated so many times we stopped counting.

"Somewhere we would never even think of looking," Jasper studied the map as if to locate the place she was just by looking at the map.

"Especially if you didn't know it was there, or knew very little about it," Jacob spoke up. Once in a while he said something that told us he knew more than he was telling.

"Where is she?" Rosalie jumped to her feet. She had finally had enough of his cryptic comments. "For fifteen years, we've been looking for her and you know where she is! Where is she? You mutt! Where is she?" She lunged at him.

Nessie stepped in the way and held up her hand. "Rosalie, stop!"

Rosalie would never hurt her, so she backed off. She walked away and pinched her nose before turning back to Jacob. "Where is she?"

"I-" his words became strangled and his thoughts were garbled. "Can't." He paused again. Jake then seemed to search for words he could say. "Stopped."

"What's stopping you?" Jasper was trying to make sense of his words.

"Elizabeth." The briefest image of a man with a snakelike face and red eyes flashed through his head then disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Who was that?" I had never seen anything like that in my entire existence. Whoever he was, he looked like the Devil incarnate. Did he have something to do with her disappearance?

Jacob squeezed his eyes shut and tried to speak for a few seconds before he finally said, "She left."

"He's the reason she left?" I asked. That was the only thing I could think of that he was trying to say.

He couldn't answer because of whatever Elizabeth had done to him, but the look on his face was answer enough.

"What did he do to her?" If he hurt my daughter in any way, I would gladly hand him over to Jane to play with for eternity.

"I don't know."

This was the most Jacob had been able to talk about the day Elizabeth left. Apparently he had been working to get around the block she had put into place. Either that, or whatever she had done had weakened just enough so he could spit some words out.

"Are we in the right area?" Jasper asked next.

Jake took several deep breaths and tried to say something, but nothing came out.

Elizabeth had covered all of her bases well. The only person who knew anything about her location was unable to say anything because of her "abilities." In a way I hated them. They were probably the reason she was targeted in the first place and were also why we couldn't find her.

"It's like she fell off the Earth," Bella walked into the room carrying a sleepy Masen in her arms. His soft, black hair fell into his dark eyes. His fist rubbed the sleep from a face that was a perfect combination of Jacob and Renesmee.

"Who did?" Masen mumbled.

"Your aunt, Elizabeth. She left before you were born."

"Why did she leave?"

"We don't know, but we're trying to find out."

"We will find her," I said as I crossed the room to my grandson. "And then you'll get to know her too."

"She's been gone for so long, we don't even know her anymore," Bella murmured.

"You miss her?" Masen touched Bella's face, trying to smooth the wrinkle between her eyebrows.

"Very much."

"We all miss her," Esme said sadly.

"Will she come back?" Masen asked innocently.

"Yes," Jake said firmly.

"How do you know?" Bella asked.

"She promised she would." A brief image of a little Elizabeth as we had last seen her promising that she would come back appeared briefly in his thoughts. Something was definitely happening to make him able to think and say more about what happened all those years ago.

We took new courage from Jacob's words and went back to checking off places we were planning on going.

"We're going to look into every place that meant something to her or that she expressed a great about of interest in," Jasper said.

"I thought we were doing that," Rosalie huffed.

"We're missing something. Something buried deep down, or something we just don't see." Jasper flipped through the notes that he'd taken over the years. True he had perfect recall, but he still kept notes out of habit.

"What if we split up to search for her?" Esme suggested.

"That might work. She won't have so many places to run." Rosalie nodded.

"Or she could feel threatened and disappear again," Carlisle said as he came downstairs.

"So should I bring Leah back?" Jacob asked.

Carlisle shook his head. "No. Having one or two out won't bother her, but having everyone out could make her feel like-"

"The hounds to the hunter," Jasper finished.

"Exactly. She knew we would look for her so she hid herself were only a few of us would know about, but she's picked a place she doesn't think we'll look, at least for a long time, so we have to make a list of every place she ever discussed with anyone."

"We've already done this a hundred times!" Rosalie slapped her hand down on the table. "What could _we_ have forgotten or overlooked?"

"Considering who we're dealing with? A lot," Jasper murmured. "Elizabeth has always been a talented escape artist. She reminds me of Victoria in that way."

"I wish I could See her," Alice sighed. "It would help."

"I think even if you could, she would find a way to remain two steps ahead and change her mind all the time." Jasper wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "None of this is your fault."

"But I was the one who decided to go to South America in the first place!" Alice jumped to her feet. "If I had been here, she wouldn't have left."

"Then we are all to blame. We all could have done something, but none of us ever suspected, except for her. I am more to blame than anyone because I should have heard Stephan and Vladimir's thoughts and listened to Elizabeth when she told me there was something wrong with those two," Edward said. "Besides, if you hadn't gone to South America, then both my daughters would be dead."

"We've all done everything we could. None of us are really to blame. I think they came to acquire talent and they singled her out because of her power," Esme said softly. "So enough of the guilt and blaming ourselves. We'll find her and bring her home."


	23. A Possessed Match

**Harry**

Today was the first Quidditch match of the season and it was Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. So, that meant Hermione and I would be playing against each other.

"Knock that mudblood off her broom," Pansy said as I came downstairs.

"You're forgetting that she happens to be my best friend and I don't like it when people talk mean about my friends." I was absolutely livid. No one talked about Hermione like that and got away with it. Especially people who like Pansy Parkinson.

I quickly joined the rest of the Slytherin team at the table and grabbed a few things to eat. Even though I was terribly nervous about my first actual game, I knew better than to skip meals because Elizabeth would find out and be more than a little put out.

Speaking of Elizabeth, she was seated next to Dad at the table. The front piece of her hair was both silver and red. So she was cheering for both of us. Not that I expected anything less from her, but now other people knew it too.

What did surprise me was that Reginald was seated next to her. He seemed very nervous about something. But even with that he, Elizabeth, and Dad were in deep discussion about something which Quirrell was desperately trying to listen in on.

Elizabeth scowled darkly at the stuttering fool and turned back to Dad.

Quirrell's eyes flashed red and his face curled into a slight sneer and then his face cleared and his eyes went back to blue. That was just wrong!

**Elizabeth**

Reginald and I sat next to Severus. Reginald ate a good deal considering how nervous he was but I picked at the food in front of me. Every once in a while I'd put a bite in my mouth but for the most part, we talked to Severus.

We had put up a _Mufflato_ so that no one could hear us because we were discussing very sensitive information.

"I believe that Quirrell is possessed by the Dark Lord," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I can feel the Dark Lord's Magic all over him and he keeps whispering to himself when he believes he's alone. During those times, his whole demeanor changes and it's like he's a totally different person all together."

"I can back that up. I could have sworn I saw his eyes turn red once or twice," Reginald said.

"Is there any way to remove him?"

"There are a few ways, but each as Dark as the possession itself. The least dangerous requires the blood-" I cut off and scowled at Quirrell. Even though he couldn't hear us, there was still a chance that he could read our lips.

"Yes?" Severus seemed a little impatient for me to continue.

"It requires the blood of a child, the feather of a phoenix forcibly taken, a lock of unicorn mane forcibly taken, and the body of an animal slain on the spot. We also need some blood of the possessed. The procedure must occur on the night of the full moon with the final incantation being said exactly at midnight."

"Does it specify what kind of animal?"

"No. I suppose we could use a chicken. I don't think Hagrid would be opposed to us taking one."

"The only one I foresee a real problem is the unicorn." He seemed a little glum about that one.

"Already taken care of."

"And the centaurs said nothing?" Severus was shocked. The centaurs protected the unicorns with their very lives and allowed no one near them without a reason.

"Oh, they got a little angry, but when I explained my mission, they backed off. The unicorn even seemed to understand once it was over."

"What about the blood of a child?" Severus seemed a little queasy about that part.

"I've got that covered. Hermione was more than happy to share a vial when she learned I needed some for an experiment," Regulus replied.

"I also stole one of Fawks's feathers early this morning so that's not an issue either. And Quirrell had no idea I stole some of his blood while he was whispering to himself," I informed him gleefully.

"When do you want to do this?" Severus asked.

"Are you busy the next full moon?" I countered

"No."

"We're free too." I glanced at Regulus and he nodded.

"Very well. The sooner that thing is away from my son, the better I like it," Severus said fiercely.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Regulus said as he took a sip of pumpkin juice.

**Hermione**

Harry was seated with his team and I was seated with mine. A quick glance at the Heads table and I saw Reginald and Elizabeth talking to Severus.

I was shocked to see Reginald out of Wainwright. He never stepped foot out of the manor. I wondered what had brought him out. Was it because he really wanted to get out, or to see us play? Either way it didn't matter. I was happy to see him. When he caught me looking at him he smiled at me.

Before I was ready, it was time to get down to the pitch.

"You ready, Granger?" Fred asked from behind me.

"As I'll ever be." I nodded. Nerves started taking over me and I had to take a deep breath and count to ten to try to clear my head. This was Harry I was going up against. I had done this countless times before. All I had to do was forget everyone else around me and just focus on the two of us flying around the pitch.

I looked up and Harry and he grinned at me.

**Harry**

We flew onto the pitch amongst cheers and boos from all sides and I smiled. Gryffindor's hatred for Slytherin was the fuel to my inner fire.

"The players are taking their positions as Madam Hooch steps onto the field!" Lee Jordan announced. His voice echoed across the pitch and I was sure that everyone could hear him.

"Now, I want a nice, clean game. From all of you!" she shouted and opened the Quidditch ball case.

"The Bludgers are up, followed by the Golden Snitch!"

Madam Hooch through the Quaffle into the air and Jordan shouted, "The Quaffle is released and the game begins."

A Bludger zoomed by my head and I ducked.

Hermione took a position near me and smirked at me. "Ready to lose?"

"Are you?" I retorted.

Suddenly, the Snitch zoomed by my head and we both took off after it. We flew neck and neck so it was not a matter of who was better, but who happened to get to it first. Our movements were pretty much in perfect synchronization.

Without warning, my broom started bucking violently beneath me and it was all I could do to hang on.

My eyes met Elizabeth and I shouted in my head. _Elizabeth! Please! Help me!_

**Elizabeth**

Right before Harry's broom started bucking wildly nearly throwing him off, the hairs on the back of my arms stood up as Dark Magic washed over me. Quirrell was the one muttering the curse, not that I was surprised, but it made me angry that he would dare to do something like that when I was around.

When my eyes met Harry's, I could hear him pleading with me to help him.

Severus immediately started whispering the counter curse while I worked out a way to deal with Quirrell. Because I could move at a speed that no one could see I was able to look around me and make sure that no one was watching me. After I was satisfied that everyone was engrossed in the drama in the air, I made my move.

With a quick flick of my wrist, I flipped him onto his back. To anyone else it would have seemed as though he had fallen on his own. As soon as Quirrell could no longer see Harry, the broom calmed and he was able to fly.

Quirrell stood up and frowned darkly at the sight of Harry flying uninjured and I couldn't help but smile.

I turned back to the match, all the while keeping a constant watch on Quirrell.

Harry took a sharp dive, right before Hermione did and caught the Snitch. I jumped to my feet and cheered.

Hermione seemed a little put out, but she still clapped for her brother.


	24. Eviction Notice

**Elizabeth**

Two weeks later was the night of the full moon and we were ready to perform the ritual. Hopefully, this would mean one less victim that the Dark Lord could add to his list.

Severus had secured an animal for the sacrificial part of the ritual. Hagrid had been told that an animal was needed for an experimental potion and turned a chicken over willingly.

There was a faint whisper of Dark Magic in the air and chills chased each other up and down my spine. Whenever unicorn and phoenix parts were taken forcibly, it always invoked Darkness because nothing was taken under duress was used for any good.

Except for this time. Though the ritual was Dark, it was being used for good because we were trying to save more than one life.

Reginald and I flooed into Severus's quarters two hours before midnight that way we would have plenty of time to prepare.

Severus was standing near the fireplace waiting for us with everything laid out, ready for me to prepare it. He had even secured a large stone to serve as the altar so it could be destroyed once this was all over.

"I will perform this ritual for a few reasons: if the Ministry picks up on Dark Magic I can't be tried by their courts also it works best when someone who can speak Parseltongue performs it," I said and both men readily agreed.

I carefully read through the process thoroughly one last time just to ensure that I had not missed anything. Even though I had a perfect memory, it made me feel better to make sure I had everything in my head.

_On the night of the full moon take an animal and cut its throat on the alter_

_As the blood flows, dip the phoenix feather into the blood and paint the pentagram_

_Take the child's blood and using the unicorn hair spell the name of the possessed across the pentagram_

_**Warning: The child's blood must be kept away from the ritual until ready to use because it cannot be tainted by the ritual for it to work**_

_Right at the stroke of midnight spill the blood of the possessed directly in the middle of the pentagram and on each point of the star_

_Note: Speaking the name of the possessed in Parseltongue drives out the possessor faster and easier as the blood of the possessed is spilled_

_**Warning: If this is not performed correctly, this ritual may cause permanent damage to the possessed**_

After I read through it, I positioned everything in the order it was to be done. Reginald was going to keep the vial of blood until I needed.

I closed my eyes and thought about was I was going to do. I was going to perform Dark Magic, something I had never dreamed of doing before. It was almost too much, but Harry's life was on the line so, I steeled myself against what was about to occur.

When there were ten minutes until midnight, I started the ritual.

Picking up the knife Severus had laid out I cut the chicken's head off and dipped the phoenix feather in the blood. A sharp burst of Dark Magic erupted as I painted the design on the stone.

The Dark Magic swirled like thick, choking smoke around us and inwardly I retreated from it, but I knew I couldn't stop now. The sooner the Dark Lord was removed from the school the better off we all were. Besides, if I did stop now, the Magic would recoil back on us and we would be reduced to something akin to those who received the Dementor's Kiss, at least Severus and Reginald would.

I held out my hand and Reginald handed me the vial of Hermione's blood and I opened it. When I immersed the unicorn hair in it, the Dark Magic started pulsing heavily and I felt sick to my stomach.

Ignoring the Darkness swirling around us, I proceeded to write _Quinerus Quirrell _and I started whispering his name in Parseltongue.

I could feel the Dark Magic building around me churning like a river of deepest malevolence. With a swirl of pure evil, all of the light was sucked out of the room and in the darkness I could see a cloud flowing out of the room.

A few seconds later, a heart rendering scream of agony echoed through the castle.

It was done.

Quickly, I cleared everything away and destroyed all evidence of the Dark Magic ritual including the unnatural chill that had pervaded the room because of it.

As soon as I was done, we ran to Quirrell's rooms.

I Saw what the password was and shouted it. The door sprung open and we burst through it.

Quirrell was lying on the floor gasping. His turban was in tatters beside him and blood was trickling from his face. Medium length brown hair covered his head.

"Reginald, you'd better leave, now! Severus, get Madam Pomfrey!" I rolled Quirrell onto his back and checked his eyes. Thankfully they responded to light. So the ritual hadn't destroyed him. His pulse was steady and strong.

Reginald and Severus both did as I told them to. The floo flared once and Reginald vanished. It flared again and Severus called Madam Pomfrey.

After a brief explanation, Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, "I'll be right there!"

Minutes later, Madam Pomfrey was kneeling beside Quirrell checking him over. "Help me get him onto the bed!" she ordered and Severus and I quickly complied. I could have done it by myself, but I didn't want her to ask any questions about how I could lift and carry a full grown man with no difficulty with me being the size of a second year student.

She carefully worked over Quirrell as Severus and I stood by.

What had I done? Would he be okay?

I knew what would have happened if we had left the Dark Lord alone to continue possessing the man. Quirrell would have eventually died. At least this way there was a possibility that he would lead a relatively normal life.

"Did we do the right thing?" Severus whispered to me. The furrow between his eyes was deeper than usual and his body was tense.

"I don't know, I hope so. His vital signs suggested that he would be fine. When he wakes up, we'll know for sure," I replied. My arms were wrapped tightly around my waist. My body shook slightly from the aftershocks of Dark Magic leaving my system.

"Exactly what happened to him?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she poured a potion into Quirrell's mouth.

After a second's debate, I decided to tell her the truth, "I performed a ritual to remove a possessing spirit from him."

"Who possessed him?" Madam Pomfrey was shocked.

"The Dark Lord," I said blandly.

"Severus, please get Professor Dumbledore. He needs to know what happened here." She stared at me with wide eyes for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Quirrell.

Severus knelt in front of the fireplace and flooed Dumbledore and the Headmaster arrived moments later.

"Are you sure?" he asked me.

"Yes. At various times I've seen evidence of it and at the Quidditch match two weeks ago he tried to kill Harry."

"How could I have missed it? I thought I would have been able to see something like this in my own school. How could I have been so blind?" Dumbledore sighed softly and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Sir, you can't possibly be expected to be able to see everything. I See more than you do and I still miss things!" I couldn't believe that he was blaming himself for overlooking someone who seemed so nonthreatening.

Around two o'clock, Quirrell groaned and opened his eyes, "What happened to me?" He blinked hard and looked around, confused. His eyes widened when he caught sight of his turban on the ground. "Headmaster?"

"I think explanations are in order." Carefully, Dumbledore told him what had been done to him.

"So he's gone?" Quirrell sighed in was that relief? Apparently he too had been the Dark Lord's unwilling servant.

"In a way," Dumbledore replied. "True he is no longer possessing you, but Voldemort is still out there. I think it is best that we all remain vigilant. It seems that he has started his attacks again and anyone involved tonight will be on his list." He looked directly at me as he said the last part. He focused back on Quirrell, "You get some rest. I don't want you teaching for at least three days."

"My classes!"

"Can be split between the other teachers for now. I don't want you to overdo yourself. The ritual used a lot of your own Magic, so you are a little weak right now. Once Madam Pomfrey clears you, then you may return to your duties, but until that time, you are to rest."

"I think I'd better leave now," I whispered to Severus. With that, I stepped through the floo and left the scene of my crime behind.

When I walked out of the floo, Regulus was waiting for me.

"If it worked on Quirrell, could it work on Harry?" he asked.

I closed my eyes and looked into the future. "No. Harry is not possessed. There's a difference between being a Horcrux and being possessed."

"Well, there goes that theory."

"I would have thought that it would have worked too. Besides, I don't think Severus would appreciate us performing Black Magic on his son."


	25. Mild Aftershocks

**Harry**

Everyone in my dorm and probably most of the school was asleep when an earsplitting shriek echoed through the castle. All of us jerked upright and glanced at each other to make sure that no one was hurt.

Crabbe and Goyle sat up still snoring then fell back to sleep. If I wasn't so scared, I would have laughed.

Blaise swore, "What the bloody hell was that?"

The room went ice cold and I could see my breath and frost appeared on the windows to the Black Lake. Draco, Blaise, and I exchanged fearful glances. Then, just as suddenly as the temperature dropped, everything was back to normal.

"Dark Magic," Draco whispered with a slight shiver. "Someone performed _very_ Dark Magic."

"Who did it?" the Italian asked.

"I don't know." Draco shook his head, his pale blond hair falling into his eyes. "Whoever it was performed a very powerful, extremely _old_ spell."

"How do you know it was old?" I asked.

"Because the room went cold. Only an old Dark spell would have done that," Draco answered. "Most of the newer Dark Magic has been reworked so it doesn't do that because people don't want to get caught. But the reworking makes it to where it's not as powerful."

"Come on, we need to get some sleep. Dumbledore can tell us in the morning what happened," Blaise said as he stifled a yawn.

The rest of us agreed and curled back under the covers. For some strange reason, I felt more peaceful now. It was as though Darkness was somehow used to get rid of Darkness.

The next morning, Blaise, Draco and I went down to breakfast. Along the way, we heard people discussing the events of the night before.

Hermione and the Weasley twins joined us partway to the Great Hall followed by Neville and Cedric.

Though Blaise and Draco weren't necessarily friends with Hermione, they tolerated her. Besides, she had her own friends in the Weasley twins who tolerated us. Then Hermione and I were also friends with Neville and Cedric but our other friends weren't necessarily friends with them and all of us got along well like that. It wouldn't be long before we were all friends, of that I was sure

"Do you know what happened last night?" Hermione asked.

"No, but we think Dumbledore may give us a clue today," I replied.

"I hope so. That was more than a little scary," Cedric shuddered slightly. None of us teased him about being scared because we all were.

"My toad almost froze in that cold spell," Neville said.

"Most of Gryffindor seems to think-" one twin started.

"That Snape was the one who did it," the other finished.

My father wouldn't do something like that. I knew he wouldn't. He couldn't! Could he? No. I knew him better than that. He rarely read any of Elizabeth's Dark Arts books and never touched the very old ones. Elizabeth may have had something to do with it, but if she did, then it was for our own good. I wouldn't really put it past her, but I wouldn't accuse her until I had more information

"No. I don't think it was Professor Snape. It felt like really old Magic. Older than anyone alive would remember. Not even Professor Snape could get his hands on books like that because they were all banned by the Ministry in the 1700s," Draco said. "Whoever did that must have access to a library that wasn't raided by the Ministry and I don't know of library that wasn't unless it was Wainwright. But nobody's lived there for over three hundred years if it even still exists."

Elizabeth. That _was_ the only explanation. But I trusted her to do something only if necessary. If she thought she had to do something terrible she would do it, but only if she had exhausted all of her other options.

Hermione and I exchanged glances, but said nothing.

By this time we reached the Great Hall and we went to our separate tables.

People were sitting down, but no food was on the table yet.

Professor Dumbledore stood up, "Good morning students. I have an announcement to make. Last night an unfortunate spell misfiring caused Professor Quirrell to be on bed-rest for the next three days. So, don't worry about the events of last night or for your professor's health. The spell did minimal damage and he is expected to make a full recovery. And now, seeing as you are all hungry, tuck in."

The food appeared much as it did at the Welcome Feast and soon the Hall was filled with the sound of chatter and breakfasting.

"I knew it wasn't Professor Snape!" Draco laughed, "Take that, you stupid Gryffindors!"

"Not _all_ of them are stupid!" I defended. I glanced over at Hermione but she was looking very annoyed at Ronald Weasel who happened to be talking with his mouth full. My face curled in disgust. "Just most of them."

"Yep. Only three, maybe four, of them have any brains to speak of among the whole lot," Draco sneered.

None of us could disagree with him on that. Hermione and the Weasley twins were the only ones who didn't do completely stupid things.

"Who's the fourth?" I asked. "Because I wasn't aware that there was one."

"Neither was I," Blaise agreed.

"Lee Jordon is okay most of the time. House of the Brave. Yeah, if brave equals stupid," Draco snickered. "To bad Hermione didn't make it into Slytherin. She would have been quite an asset to our House as smart as she is."

"She told me that the Hat almost put her in Slytherin, but decided against it. I think it's because she worries about other people before she thinks of her own safety. But other than that, she's Slytherin," I replied.

"So Hermione Granger was almost a Slytherin. Hm. No wonder we can actually talk to her and make sense out of what she says," Draco mused and we all laughed at his expression.

"Mudbloods don't get into Slytherin. It's only for purebloods" Pansy Pug-nose said as she walked passed us with her nose in the air.

"Don't trip," I muttered to Draco and Blaise and they laughed.

"Wouldn't want to smash her nose in any flatter than it already is," Draco sneered.

"You have to admit that we do have our share of morons," Blaise whispered around his goblet of pumpkin juice.

Draco and I laughed and juice almost came out of our noses.

"I wonder why they don't have a House for people like Pug-nose," Blaise mused as he speared a sausage.

"Because none of the professors would want be its Head!" Draco snickered. "Can you imagine if Professor Snape were its Head? 'Shut up, you dunderheads!'" The last part was said with a very Snape-like scowl.

**Hermione**

"I thought Snape for sure would have been the one to do that!" Ronald wailed around a mouthful of food. "He seems like the type of bloke who would do something like that and then he's always taking points off of Gryffindor for no reason and he's always wearing black and he likes the Dark Arts."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ronald, it's rude!" I sighed for the umpteenth time. His brothers didn't act like he did so apparently he was the only one not listening to his mother's manners classes.

"Besides, you shouldn't judge people like that. Yes, he takes points off of Gryffindor, but it's because you and your friends are always sabotaging each other and the other students. Yes, he wears black, but so does my guardian. In fact I have never seen my guardian wear anything but black. Yes, he may be good at Dark Magic, but so's my guardian, but that doesn't make them evil. My guardian is one of the sweetest people I know."

"For all you know, Professor Snape may be someone who's just had a lot of bad things happen to him so he keeps everyone at a distance."

"Yes, Ronnikins! Her guardian is a right scary person when the mood sets in," Fred joined in.

"Not as scary as E.C. though!" Ronald shot back.

When they talked about Elizabeth and E.C. in the same conversation, it suddenly dawned on me. E.C. Elizabeth. Wainwright Manor had been willed to Carlisle Cullen. Elizabeth Cullen. Elizabeth was E.C. The woman who raised and showed me such love was also capable of the most heinous crimes. Then again, Elizabeth was a half-vampire.

Elizabeth had also performed that Dark Magic last night because she had access to the only library untouched by the Ministry's laws as the Manor belonged to a vampire.

"Isn't that right, Hermione?" George asked.

"I'm sorry; I didn't catch what you said. Would you repeat it, please?" I was slightly embarrassed that I'd had to have him repeat himself.

"Isn't Grayback terrified of your guardian?" George asked again.

"Well, Grayback did run away."

"See? Yeah, Snape's a really scary bloke, but I don't think Grayback's all _that_ scared of Snape-" George started.

"So her guardian wins hands down as being the most terrifying person around," Fred finished.

Elizabeth was indeed scarier than Severus. She was the most horrifying modern legend around. The killer of killers. She hunted Death Eaters during Voldemort's reign of terror. In so doing, she had incited her own reign of terror amongst his followers. Especially with her twisted poetry and heads on spikes.

In fact, parents told their children about her to get them to come inside when it was time to go to bed even though she had never touched an innocent person.

"Who is your guardian?" Ronald asked.

"Elizabeth Masen. You met her. She's the woman who believes that Sirius may be innocent. You argued with her in Madam Malkins. She later told us that she wanted to hurt you for disrespecting an elder, but she didn't think your mother would appreciate your insides dirtying up Madam Malkins' shop." I snickered at the expression on Ron's face and the twins laughed outright.

"She's still not that scary!" Ronald tried putting on a brave front.

"Oh, she is absolutely terrifying when she's angry," I said and turned back to my breakfast. I glanced up at Harry and our gazes met. I looked at Ronald and rolled my eyes. Harry nodded. "She's been known to kill people in effigy among other things."

"She kills people?" Ronald asked, horrified. Some of his food fell out of his mouth and I tried not to gag.

"Killing people in effigy means that she makes little dolls that resembled the person and then kills them in any way she can think of." Idiot. Then again, not many people were as smart as Elizabeth. Those around her felt compelled to keep up with her the best that they could because no one likes to feel like a complete moron all the time.

"Why?" Ronald's face was still pale. He was also talking with his mouth full again.

"Because she thinks that it's great fun and sometimes I agree with her." I stabbed my sausage irritably.

"Careful, Ronnikins," Fred said.

"Or Hermione's going to do the same thing to you," George continued.

"Only it will be for real," Fred added and both twins snickered.

"I'll bet she's scared of Lockhart!" Ron half shouted.

"Elizabeth? Scared of that fool? Please. He's one of the people she kills in effigy!" Ronald Weasley was really, really annoying.

I had told the truth. More than once, I had caught Elizabeth making little stick figures with blond hair and ridiculous clothes and pretending to kill them in every way imaginable. I'd also seen her "kill" some woman named Umbridge, or Umbitch as Elizabeth called her.


	26. Discoveries and Violation

**Elizabeth**

It had been over three months since I performed the ritual over Quirrell and I was going stir crazy. There was only so much of doing nothing I could take.

Regulus understood this better than I did, but then he knew that it was possible he would be discovered should he leave the house too often. He had pushed his luck as it was when he went to the game and spending as much time around Severus as he did.

Finally, I had enough and Apparated to London because I was extremely bored.

Slowly, I walked down street after street, going nowhere, just seeing what sort of random piece of information I might find useful or amusing.

It was a little before three in the morning when a scent wafted across my face. It was Rosalie. The scent was a few hours old, but still, it was all of the warning I needed. They were very close to my neighborhood.

I turned on my heel and went the other way. I was glad I had always spelled my scent nonexistent because if I didn't, I would have been in trouble because I came to London quite often and a vampire could smell someone in Diagon Alley. I knew because I'd tried it.

A few hours later I was near an older, but still nice, part of town when the hairs on the back of my neck rose and a chill swept through to the deepest part of my being. A Horcrux was near. I could feel its Dark Magic tainting the balmy air.

A turn down another street and I found myself in Grimwald Place. It was very close, extremely close actually. I studied the houses to try to find where it was coming from exactly. But, I couldn't pinpoint the source. Up and down the street I paced, trying to find it.

A hiss of frustration slid from between my lips. This was more than frustrating, it was downright maddening. I had never been so close to something I was looking for and yet so far away at the same time.

I knew it was here, but it was like I was overlooking some minor, but very obvious detail. And that detail kept me from locating it. What was so important, but so small that no one would pay any attention to it?

So I started studying all of the details, ones that most people would miss.

Then I noticed something. There was no number 12 between 11 and 13. I checked the other side of the street. There was no 12 over there either.

I focused on the place between 11 and 13. That's when I noticed a faint shimmer of Magic where 12 was supposed to be. So that's why I wasn't able to see it! This place was obviously under a Fidelus Charm. The only way for an ordinary witch or wizard to find it would be to be told by the Secret Keeper. But I was no ordinary witch, so I was able to see it.

True it had taken me a little while to locate it, but now I knew where another Horcrux was. I smiled slightly.

How could I have been so stupid to miss that? I was a vampire for crying out loud! I'm not supposed to miss such minute details! In fact, those kinds of particulars were supposed to be the first things I saw!

I walked slowly down the street on the lookout for any possible run-ins with my family.

"A little lost, aren't we, love? Or are you down here on _business_?" a man leered at me from the shadows of nearby alley. He grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth and pull a few pieces of paper out of his pocket, "I pay cash."

"I _am_ here on business, just not the kind of _business_ you're referring to," I said brusquely and kept walking.

This man was a monster. Not the mythological kind, but a monster nonetheless. His mind reminded me of the Death Eaters I had killed. If neither of us were careful, he would end up dead and I wouldn't feel the least bit bad about ridding the world of another predator. Though there was the treaty to worry about this time.

"Now, don't be like that. I only want a little fun." He grabbed my arm and tried to pull me to him. "Come on, love."

"Apparently you didn't hear me, so let me make myself clear. **I. Am. Not. Interested**! I don't need or want your money. So back off." I shoved his hand away as roughly as I dared without breaking any bones.

"Come now, love, don't be like that!" he wrapped his arm around my waist and tried to kiss my hair. "It won't take much."

"Get away from me, you perv!" I slipped away from him and brushed myself off as if I could remove his germs from my body. "You're a disgusting pig of a man!"

"Now, love, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." He grabbed me and tried to push me against the wall. His rancid breath washed over my face.

No telling how many girls he had done this and worse to. At that thought the vampire took complete control of my senses. "Or, we can do it my way." I snarled as I slid out of his grasp and after I shoved him deeper into the alley, I jumped on his back. "You really shouldn't have done that. I'm the worst sort of girl you could have threatened. It's the last mistake you'll ever make," I hissed into his ear.

The elixir that humans call blood was pounding rich and thick right beneath the thin protection they called skin. Adrenaline sweetened the scent of it even more and my thirst burned more than it ever had.

"Wha-"

I sank my teeth into his neck and let the warm, sweet blood fill my senses. His voice cut off in a gurgle as his feeble attempts to shake me off turned into twitches. Why had I ever started drinking animals or eating food in the first place when I had this?

All too soon he was drained and I realized what I had done. I'd just violated the treaty! There was no way I could be forgiven for this! Jake might overlook my killing the Death Eaters because it was a time of war, but this wasn't. That and I had never bitten any of them.

Sure, Jacob had allowed Bella to become a vampire, but I had just bitten someone. Not that the world would miss him, or did I feel guilty about it but still the treaty said we couldn't bite a human.

Shame filled me. I would always be alone because I was too weak to just bang him upside the head and take him down to the police station.

Reality set in and I knew I had to clean this up so no questions would be asked. It couldn't get out that a vampire was roaming London, especially since my family was in town, so I had to clean this up neat and tidy. I didn't want to cause any more unnecessary trouble for them than I already had.

Rather healthy thirty something year olds didn't just fall over dead, so how would I make him die? He was walking down the street in the middle of the night, so I could make it look like a robbery gone wrong. Or I could just make him "disappear."

I eventually decided to "drown" him. Carefully, I placed his body in a net to make it look like he had fallen in and gotten tangled up in it. The tear in his neck was fixed and water filled his lungs. I also added what would pass for blood under the closest scrutiny—aside from a vampire—into his bloodstream. I also blinded any security cameras to what I was doing. No one would ever come close to the truth even if they decided it _was_ murder.

I Saw that the owners of the boat would be arriving in just a few moments so I darted away before anyone could see someone messing around with the boat. If I was seen than all my hard work would be for nothing and people would see that it was murder and then there would be a useless investigation into it.

That morning, I made sure to watch the London news to ensure that there was no mention of murder.

"And now, one of the most notorious serial killers of the decade has been found dead. Leann, over to you," the anchorman said.

"Thank you Josh. It was a little before four this morning that the body of thirty-four year old Josiah Brenner was found tangled in the nets of this boat behind me. Authorities say that he apparently fell into the water, got tangled in the net, and drowned sometime late last night or early this morning." The fake blond anchorwoman was standing in front of the boat I had used to stash the body.

"Brenner was the suspect in a series of murders in the area in which every victim was tortured and sexually assaulted, with DNA linking him to at least eight of the twenty murders and heavy circumstantial evidence to the other twelve, but the authorities were never able to catch him. They had almost caught him over a year ago but he managed to evade the dragnet and went on to kill four more women.

"Maybe now that he is dead, the families of these slain women can finally find a certain sense of closure knowing that the killer who took their loved ones away from them is no longer haunting the streets.

"This is Max Johnson." The camera focused on a man who appeared to be in his middle forties. "His daughter, twenty-two year-old Jessica Johnson was killed four years ago by Brenner and was one of his first known victims. When Mr. Johnson learned that Brenner's body had been found, he came out to see for himself whether or not it was true. How do you feel about knowing your daughter's killer is now no longer on the streets?"

"I'm glad he's gone and no other parent has to suffer because of him. I'm just sorry that he had such an easy death after the horror he inflicted on my Jessie." He had tears in his eyes when he spoke and one trickled down his cheek. He wiped it away with his sleeve. "Now, I can finally let my baby rest in peace."

"Josh, back to you."

I turned the TV off because none of the rest of the news really concerned me.

So any shame I felt about violating the treaty was gone. I had taken a dangerous killer off the streets and no other girl or her family would have to suffer because of him. If only I had gotten to him sooner.

I was so lost in thought that I was surprised when someone spoke. "Did you have something to do with that?" Regulus spoke from the doorway. There was no judgment in his voice, just curiosity.

"Yeah. Bastard thought he was going to rape me, so I killed him for it. Besides, his mind was as bad as or worse than a lot of the Death Eaters I killed."

"Do you feel bad about killing him?"

"After watching that? No, of course I don't feel bad. He's more of a monster than I am. At least I have an excuse to kill. He didn't."


	27. I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

AN: The next few chapters may seem kind of pointless as far as real plot goes, but I felt Elizabeth needed to laugh some and to do something to help people besides kill others, so here she is at her mischievous best and worst. And for an encore, Umbitch shows her psychotic colors.

**Elizabeth**

It had been far too long since I had paid dear old Umbitch a visit. The toad was getting a big head again, so I decided it was time to let some air out before she floated away.

Not that I didn't want her to leave, but what was I supposed to do without her to torment every once in a while? True it had been years since my last prank, but now I resolved to visit her more often.

Soledad cocked her head at me as she watched me prepare to leave.

"Don't judge me. I know it's stupid, but it's something I need to do."

Soledad blinked her eyes and ruffled her white feathers.

Silently, I slipped undetected through her wards and into her home. Once inside, I was greeted by a wave of cat and overly sweetened tea.

I gagged and covered my nose with my hand. After a quick spell, the majority of the stench was gone. It would return after I had finished my little "mission" so that nothing would seem amiss when she woke up the next morning.

Umbitch was snoring loudly in her second floor bedroom, secure in the fact that her mediocre Wards would keep out the most powerful of wizards.

Some witch she was. Harry or Hermione could cast stronger Wards than she did and they were only first years!

It was no wonder the Wizarding world was in such a mess! With weak, stupid people like her in charge of things, not much good was ever accomplished.

I took everything in with a quick look around. Everything was pink and not a soft, pretty pink or bright pink. It was a nauseating Pepto-Bismol pink. I felt like I was getting heartburn just by looking at it.

There were also pictures of cats were everywhere. Gross, I think I have a hairball.

In front of a larger than life portrait of a calico was a statue of Bast. Yes, Bast was supposed to be the goddess of wisdom in ancient Egypt or something like that and she was often symbolized as a cat, but this was too much. Besides, the Egyptian Mau was her messenger, not an alley cat. Stupid little bitch.

Umbitch needed an extreme makeover. Both her home and she did come to think of it. Everything was so _pink_. Even her doorknobs were pink.

I guess being obsessed with pink made you more of a lady in Umbitch's eyes. If that were the case, then I had some serious issues that I had no idea existed. Thankfully, it wasn't the case, though I still had issues.

So, this was the kind of home that Fudge's whore owned. No, she wasn't really his whore, but she did everything he asked and acted like a little bitch about it. If he told her to spit in someone's face, she would ask how big of a wad did he want and for how long.

As I passed through her home, I noticed that a few of her cats were black. Funny, I thought black cats were often associated with Dark witches and wizards. Umbitch wasn't Dark, she was pink.

Umbitch seriously needed black or even lavender somewhere, anywhere. This was a prime example of "like colors don't always go with like colors."

One of her many cats woke up and saw me. Thinking it was all that, just like little toady Umbitch, it hissed loudly at me.

Wow. I'm absolutely terrified of this ferocious beast. Help. What should I do? Oh, no, Lockhart save me, please!

Being the pleasant person that I am, I hissed back at the little idiot. The cat meowed loudly and scurried from the room. I snickered softly. Umbitch's cats were a bunch of chickens. Just like Umbitch. Underneath all of her bravado, she was a big coward.

On tiptoe—very unnecessary, but I felt like doing it because I was up to no good—I went into her kitchen.

Quickly, I looked around for something to play with. This room too was pink from ceiling to floor: the sink, the walls, the curtains, the ceiling, the floor, _everything_.

There in the corner, I spotted my target. Snickering, I started messing with her precious tea service.

Her sugar was replaced with salt. The tea was turned to lemonade powder that I spelled to look like tea—if tested it would change to tea. Though both would only last for probably the first time she used it, I would still have a laugh. The teapot was Charmed to "ribbit" like a toad at random intervals but she would never know what was making the noise.

Her kitty plates that she was so fond of, I made to where that from the corner of her eye she would see them shake their backsides at her. But, when she looked directly at them, they would be their same annoyingly cheerful, loud selves. This spell would last for a few months and then everything would return to normal.

As a finale, I slipped into her room—it was pink too, big surprise there— and Charmed her with a variation of the Mooning Kitty Charm. Every so often whenever she passed a mirror, from the corner of her eye, she would see a toad, but whenever she looked directly at it, she would see her reflection.

On my way out, I noticed a pink book on her nightstand that had "Diary" emblazoned on it in a brighter pink. Curiously, I opened it up. It was started thirteen years before.

_18/4/2004_

_I know I shouldn't have such feelings for a creature of the night but I can't help it. Remus Lupin…_

What the hell? Umbitch had a thing for Remus? I continued reading.

_Remus Lupin must know how I feel about him. He sees me watching him whenever he comes to the Ministry for some regulation or other. He __**must**__ know how much I want him._

_I know he feels the same way. I have seen his longing glances. He does love me, but everyone is standing in our way._

_He just plays hard to get and I am getting really tired of his games. This has been going on since Hogwarts and I intend to finish it. He will come to me._

Entry after entry talked about her obsession with Remus and her belief in his affections for her. Fantasies that I wanted to gag at and wash my brain out with bleach to forget. Finally I got to the last page. She wrote this entry right before she went to sleep.

_14/2/2017_

_I have been successful in passing my latest restriction as far as werewolves are concerned. The dear Minister believes I have the best interests of the Wizarding world at heart, and I do, but my main objective is to make Remus mine. The wolf must know I am his mate. Wolves mate for life and he has to realize that sooner or later, we must be together. There are so many restrictions that Remus will have no choice but to come to me. When he does, I will make my offer. Be with me and I will have them lessened. I just know he feels for me what I feel for him and tomorrow, I will make him reveal how much he truly cares for me. _

_I love you Remus Lupin._

_D.U & R.L._

_Forever_

_Lucius Malfoy would be jealous of the Slytherin worthy plan this girl put together. He and his perfect then girlfriend now wife were always traipsing around like they owned the place and telling me I didn't belong in Hogwarts, let alone Slytherin. Now, it's my turn. I will show the Slytherin Prince that I belonged there._

_Oh, Remus, soon my love. We will be together soon._

Lucius would be jealous of _her_? What the hell? If he was jealous, which I highly doubted he was, it would be me because of the power that I wielded.

Wait, Lucius. I wondered if it was the same Lucius I met fifteen years before. Draco Malfoy looked like a younger version of that young man, and now I quite possibly had his last name. I promised myself I would think about that later.

Poor Remus! To have that woman obsessed with him and he had no idea!

Well, time for Operation Put Umbitch's Very Non-Slytherin Plan Out of Commission. Umbitch was about to find out what it meant to play games with a real Slytherin. Only she had no idea she was playing and I alone knew the rules.

Giggling madly, I ran out of her house.

I Looked to see where Remus was working. He was a clerk for a small food store in Diagon Alley. The proprietor was preparing to fire him because he could no longer afford even Remus's small paycheck because of that stupid bitch.

Pulling my hood over my face so no one would be able to see my face, I went to the shopkeeper's home and knocked on the door. I knew it was in the middle of the night, but I didn't care. I needed to have a word with this man and no one could know.

"What?" An older man who looked like he needed a good night's sleep and a few weeks' vacation opened the door. His mind was full of problems he was facing financially and how he could keep as much as possible from his family. That was how I planned to persuade him to keep Remus around: make it monetarily beneficial for him to.

"Mr. Bigglesdaff?"

"Yes."

"I understand that Remus Lupin is working for you."

"Don't worry. I was just getting ready to fire him first thing in the morning. So, goodnight." He tried to shut the door in my face.

I held up my hand and stopped the door from shutting. "No, wait, just listen to me. That's not why I'm here. I'm not with the Ministry or anything like that. I'm here to help a friend of a friend. Do you like Remus?"

"Yes. Never a cross word out of him. Does his job. Good with people. He's an all around nice man. Even on days he looks rather sick, and like he should stay in bed, he shows up and doesn't complain."

"Then why are you planning to get rid of him?"

"Because-"

"He's a werewolf?"

"No, I can't afford even him. I've got no problems with him being a werewolf so long as he keeps his teeth to himself. Remus is a good man who just had some rotten luck. A lot like me, as a matter of fact."

"If that is your only complaint you will keep Remus around until he finds other employment. If that does happen, you will tell him that he is always welcome back. And if he ever decided to come back to you, you will rehire him immediately. He does his job well so no one should really ask any questions about it. I will make it beneficial for you." I rubbed my thumb against my pointer and middle finger.

"What kind of benefits?" He understood that I was offering him money.

"50,000 Galleons for every year he works for you, but you will give him a raise, at least two or three Galleons more a day as well as holiday bonuses. I will also keep the Ministry off your back for having a werewolf as an employee."

He stared at me for a few seconds then asked, "What's in it for you?"

"I get to undermine the Ministry toad and help people at the same time. Consider that my return on this investment. I promise I will not come to you asking for anything unless I absolutely need it and I know you are able to provide it. That is what I will get out of this and I will ask for nothing more. So, you don't have to worry about me returning and asking for it all back." It was the honest truth. Even though my little game came with a high price tag, it was one I was willing to and could easily pay.

"You've got a deal."

In his mind he was going over all the things he could do with the money. At the top of his list were dowries for his four daughters and a descent start for his son. There were also better equipment and supplies for his shop in the mix.

Sure, Remus would be getting approximately 900 Galleons more a year. But that wouldn't be a problem with the extra money coming in.

"Good. I knew you'd see it my way. Also, Remus made top marks in school, and is particularly good in Transfiguration, so he should be able to help you get your store in tiptop shape so that should save some money on any remodeling. Oh, here's a bonus of 150,000 Galleons for accepting my offer and to keep it quiet. You are not to tell anyone, even the Ministry about our little deal." I handed him a bag of gold. It may have been a little much, but the man was in desperate need and I needed Remus to still have a job here in the morning. Besides I probably would have just bought another car or something else equally unnecessary with it. And I definitely didn't need another car or any other toy—well, for now.

"What deal?" The years seemed to have melted off his face because now he had more money than he had ever seen at one time in his life. His daughters would marry well and his son would be able to do what he wanted. His shop was going to get all sorts of new things. And Remus wouldn't receive three Galleons a day, he would receive ten. If all went according to his plan—which I could see that it would—there would be a time when he wouldn't need my money.

"Good man. I will be checking in every so often to see how things are going. Goodnight Mr. Bigglesdaff."

"Goodnight."

I was laughing when I sauntered into the library at Wainwright Manor.

"You seem very pleased with yourself," Regulus spoke from the shadows. He was seated in his favorite chair in the far corner of the room, reading a thick book. Regulus slept about as much as I did, so I wasn't entirely shocked to find him awake.

"Oh, but I am." I crossed the room and placed my hands on the back of the chair in front of him. "You see, I have just pranked Delores Umbitch." I wouldn't bring up my deal about Remus unless it came up in the conversation.

"Really?" He looked at me incredulously.

"Yes!" I jumped over the back of the chair and landed with my legs over one arm and my back leaning against the other one. "Poor bitch will think she's going 'round the twist for the next few months."

"What did you do?"

Very cheerfully I told him of the tampered tea service, the mooning kitty pictures, and the toad reflection.

By the end of my tale, he was howling with laughter. "I can't believe you did that! Oh, wait; this _is_ you we're talking about! You would have done the Marauders proud."

We both laughed at that.

It felt good to laugh. After all the stress of the past few years, we needed some sort of humor in our dark lives.

"You need to be careful though. Even as powerful as you are, you could still get caught," Regulus warned.

"I know. That's why I spelled myself Undetectable even by the most skilled wizards." I brushed it off airily.

"Of course. Only a true master prankster covers every last one of their tracks." He waved his hand in my direction as he spoke.

"And leaves their victims feel like they're going crazy because they keep seeing things that just aren't there," I added mischievously.

"You're horrible," Regulus shook his head as if he were saying 'what am I going to do with you?'

"I know." I kicked off my boots and banished them to my closet.

"Sometimes, you are so childish."

"I _am_ fifteen-years-old, you know."

"I keep forgetting that."

Soledad looked up at me when I entered my room. Her eyes blinking as she examined me.

"I told you I needed to do that," I laughed.

She gave a soft cry and settled back down for the night.

The next morning I lay on my bed and "watched" the show. It actually turned out far better than I had planned. Dear old bitch was already considering psychiatric help. Please tell them, please do. Tell them about the mooning kitties, the toad reflection, and the ribbiting teapot. Please tell them. Oh and don't forget the nasty tea and salt in the sugar pot.

I was still chuckling when I came down stairs.

Regulus, who was still seated at the breakfast table, looked up from his paper. "So, how did she take everything?"

"Very well, actually. Bitch is already considering St. Mungo's." I sat down at the table and my cup filled with blood.

"So soon?" Regulus set his paper on the table and raised an eyebrow at me.

"I told you, she's weak! She can't take anything from anyone. If she feels the least bit threatened by something, she passes regulations against it."

"Well, you've given her something else to think about besides how many ways she can torture Remus Lupin."

"Yes, but it will only be so long before she decides to hurt him some other way."

"So, what are you going to do to her next to keep her from thinking about Remus all the time?"

"Maybe I'll make her think she had a muggle gigolo over for a visit or something."

"That would be priceless."

"You're telling me."

We both snickered evilly.

"Fraternizing with muggles! Dear me, Umbitch, I thought you were above wallowing with the mud!" I pretended to gasp in horror. "Oh, and not just any muggles. Muggles who have sex for money! Three of them! Shocking. Absolutely shocking. I have to be careful though. I can't have her thinking that it's someone messing with her. She has to believe that it's all her. If I didn't have to worry about that, I would put- Wait, I just remembered something!"

"Now what?"

"She has a crush on Remus." I made a face at the thought of the toad's fantasies about the gentle werewolf. Someday, some girl would see past the wolf and see Remus as a man worth loving and give him the life he deserved.

"What?" Regulus raised his eyebrows in blatant shock.

"That's why she's passing all these restrictions. She's been trying to force Remus's hand. The only thing is he has no idea that she feels this way! But, she believes that he's been aware of her feelings and that he reciprocates them. In fact, she went so far as to say that he was the one that started it."

"No way." Regulus was just as shocked as I had been when I learned of Umbitch's obsession.

"Yes, I found her journal and she kept going on and on about Remus. She's hoping that he'll get fed up with the restrictions and come and see her. Then she'll make him a deal that if he wants the restrictions taken off, he'll-"

"Yeah, yeah, I think I get the picture. But that's just nasty. Remus is waaay too good for her." Regulus shook his head trying to get rid of that gross thought.

"Which is why I've paid off his employer to keep him around." I pulled apart an orange as I spoke.

"You did what?" Regulus stared at me.

"Last night I paid his employer 150,000 Galleons to keep Remus around along with a promise of 50,000 Galleons for every year Remus is employed there."

"How did the man respond?"

"Quite well actually."

"Why didn't you tell me this last night?"

"Because, it never came up. Umbitch was driving customers away so Bigglesdaff would have to fire Remus. And I, being the wonderfully kindhearted person that I am, stepped in and I get a laugh in the process."

"You help people and get a kick out of watching the reactions of the people around you. You really are something else."

"I laugh at the fact that Umbitch's plan that would supposedly make Lucius Malfoy jealous has fallen completely apart before she even woke up this morning."


	28. Umbridge's Absolutely Horrible Day

**Umbitch's Not Good, Very Bad, Terrible,**

**Absolutely Horrible, Almost Nightmarish Day**

**Umbitch**

I woke up excited. This was the day I would see the love of my life and he would act upon his feelings for me and we would then live happily ever after. Today was going to be my day, I just knew it.

Cheerfully, I walked through my beautiful rooms—I had such refined and ladylike tastes, though once Remus moved in, there would probably be a few changes to accommodate a man—and down the stairs.

On my way down, I could have sworn the kittens on the pretty plates I had lining the walls shook their backsides at me. But, when I looked again, they were normal.

Confused, I shook my head and continued down into my comfortable kitchen. "I need a cup of tea. That should clear everything right up."

I could just picture Remus and me drinking tea or making meals together in my pretty, comfortable kitchen.

Soon, very soon, my dreams would come true. I smiled just a little at the thought.

This latest restriction would make it extremely difficult for any werewolf to get a job and I happened to know that Mr. Bigglesdaff was planning to fire Remus today because the man couldn't make ends meet. The idiot man didn't know it, but I was the one keeping customers away from his shop so he _had_ to fire Remus. That way Remus wouldn't have anywhere to go and he would be forced to come to me for help.

It was a plan worthy of a Slytherin. It would work. I just knew it would. Even Lucius Malfoy, if he knew of my plan, would be in awe of my brilliance. He would be sorry he married Narcissa Black and would spend the rest of his life pining after me. But I would be with Remus and there would be nothing he could do to split us up.

The tea was ready so I poured some into a delicate little teacup and breathed in the comforting steam. I'd heard it whispered around the office that however a woman liked her tea was how she liked her men. I liked my tea very mild and very sweet, like Remus, so I spooned a generous amount of sugar into my cup.

I took a few delicate sips, but there seemed to be something wrong with it. So, I took a long sip and was shocked by how terrible it tasted. It was very salty and extremely sour. Absolutely disgusting!

"What?" I gagged and spat into a napkin.

After performing a few Diagnostic spells, I found that what I thought was sugar was actually salt.

"Salt? I filled this with salt? I've never done that before!" In all my years of making perfect tea, that had never happened to me before. "Dear me, I guess thinking of ways to get Remus and me together is distracting me terribly much."

Carefully, I put the salt back into its container, so I didn't spill any because that meant bad luck, wondering how I could have possibly mistaken the two.

I then refilled my teacup, but this tea wasn't much better. If I didn't know any better, I would think it was very strong lemonade or something like that. A few more tests revealed that it was in fact tea.

I shook my head and pressed my hand to my forehead to see if I had a temperature. I felt normal. "Hm. I guess something is just off with me today."

No sooner had the words left my mouth when I distinctly heard a frog croak. I looked around for a frog, but couldn't find one. "Now, I'm hearing things too! It must be too much stress at the office."

Too much stress of trying to get Remus to see how much he needed me and my political pull. I had pulled a few strings and told a few lies to get the entire Auror Department, at least all that could be spared, to guard me just to show Remus that I was indeed a powerful woman in the Ministry.

That man needed me. He just didn't know how much yet.

I selected the dress that most accented my figure and pulled it over my head. After straightening it and smoothing all the creases out, I sighed happily. This was going to be my day, I just knew it.

As I dressed, I hummed a song that I hoped would be played at our wedding.

Carefully, I arranged every strand of hair in place. After applying just a little makeup so I looked natural, I looked in the mirror. Perfection. That's all there was to it. Perfection plain and simple. Though there was nothing plain or simple about me. Amazing or wonderful would be better adjectives to describe me.

There was no way Remus could resist me now. He would see how kind, caring, and beautiful I was and get over his shyness. I just knew it.

As I passed the full length mirror in my room, I thought for sure I saw a toad in the reflection. I shrieked and looked at myself again. My reflection was the same beautiful woman who had exited the bathroom only seconds earlier.

"I knew I shouldn't take those 'toad' comments seriously. They're now messing with my mind." I smoothed my coat over my ample bosom and fixed my hat at a perfect angle on top of my head. "If this keeps up, though, I may have to see someone at Saint Mungo's."

Remus couldn't have a crazy woman as a wife, especially not with his condition. No, he needed a strong woman who could provide for him and protect him from Ministry officials who wanted to hurt him.

I walked gracefully to my floo and went to work.

People were already busily going from place to place on very important Ministry business. A newspaper boy was selling a paper and I purchased a copy to read while I waited for my interviewees to come in.

Tucking my paper under my arm, I glided elegantly to my office and slipped into my comfortable chair. Every woman in the Ministry should have been jealous of me and my grace. They should try to copy my movements and style. If they did, then they would be more womanly than they were now.

The front page had a picture of the Captain of the Hollyhead Harpies. As if sports were more important than our dear Minister! In fact, the Minister wasn't even mentioned until about halfway through the paper! How dare they? Maybe I should have a word with the editor of the _Prophet._ Our dear Minister was more important than a few goals in Quidditch.

I glanced at the clock. It was nine on the dot, time for the werewolves to start coming in.

Hour after hour passed. Werewolf after werewolf sat across from me. This was more draining than I had thought it would be.

But I had to endure it. After all, Remus would soon be seated across from me and I would be able to slowly seduce him.

I glanced at a mirror I kept in my desk and was shocked to find my perfectly coifed hair in a completely frazzled looking state. Hastily, I grabbed my brush and tried to smooth it down. But no matter what I did, it only looked worse. It was with great dismay that I realized my hair would not look perfect for Remus. So, I did the next best thing. I put my hat on my head and proceeded with the interviews.

Finally, Remus was seated across from me and I gave him my best come-hither look that I had practiced so often in the mirror.

The look he gave me was not quite what I had thought it should be, but it would do. He just wasn't expecting me to come right out like this. After all, our interactions and very subtle flirting had never been on this level before.

"Do you have a job?" Well, here goes. It was time to show him what a kind, caring, and sweet person I was. It was the next phase of my Slytherin worthy plan. When he said no, I would very carefully hint…

"Yes, ma'am." What? Bigglesdaff was supposed to have fired him this morning! That's what my informant told me.

"Full time?"

"Yes ma'am." No! No! This wasn't how it was supposed to be! I was supposed to pick him up out of the ashes of his crumpled life!

"And your employer knows your status?" I had to keep as professional as possible even though this was going nothing like I had envisioned. In fact, my entire scheme seemed to be falling down around my ears. But I could still seduce him.

"Yes ma'am."

"What does he have to say about it?"

"Nothing much, ma'am."

"You mean that he accepts you?"

"Not so much that as he tolerates me."

"Why is that?"

"Because I don't ask for much: just enough to keep a flat, food on the table, and clothes on my back." How sweet! He didn't want to put the man out any further than he already was.

"What do you do about the nights of the full moon?" I knew the answer, but I had to ask it to make it obvious how much I cared for him because I may have been far too subtle for him to understand that I truly wanted us to be together.

"I lock myself in a solid room and stay there until morning. If I can afford it, I buy Wolfsbane Potion."

I continued asking him every question I could think of to keep him with me that much longer. Finally, I ran out of questions and he still hadn't made any move towards me so I had no choice. I gave up.

"I need you to sign this." I handed him a form and he signed it.

"Is there anything else?" Remus asked.

"No." Yes. Stay. Don't run away from our love. I know you're scared about what people would say about a Ministry official and a werewolf together, but I run this division. No one would question my decision about a husband.

"Good day then." He stood up and walked quickly out my door.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way! He was supposed to be jobless and homeless. He was supposed to beg me for help! Not have a full-time job that kept his needs met. He was supposed to see me as a beautiful woman who could fulfill _all_ of his needs. He wasn't supposed to walk away from me!

All of my careful planning had been for nothing. This scheme hadn't turned out at all the way I had wanted it to. I now saw how hard a Slytherin had to work to keep their plots from falling apart.

It did seem, however, that someone was plotting against me. Someone knew what I had planned and had conspired to keep us apart. I would wager it was Lucius. Somehow that man had found out. No. He wouldn't have done that; he wouldn't have been able to find out what I was doing. There was someone else. Someone dark and dangerous. I would find out who it was and find some trumped up charges to have that person arrested.

The next werewolf sat down and I just handed him a form to sign and sent him on his way like I had done with all of them except Remus.

That was my last werewolf of the day and I was hungry and depressed. I walked to the elevator and pressed the button that would take me to the floor where the food shops were.

A few Aurors and Remus were seated in a café a few yards away and I walked over to that one to see who all was there and to hear what they were talking about. Moody, Kingsley, and Moody's female protégée were seated at the table along with a few others.

I quickly ordered my food and sat at a table near them so I could easily overhear their conversation.

"Tell them how you met Remus, Tonks," Kingsley chuckled and glanced at Remus. Remus was laughing along with him.

"It's not funny!" the girl with blue hair, whom I guessed to be Tonks, shrieked softly. "Is it, Remus?"

"I'm afraid to answer that one. You may pull your wand on me. Again" Remus teased with a smile on his face and he winked at the girl.

He was…winking at another woman! Had he forgotten all about me? How could he do this to me?

"Believe me, it was _very_ funny. I saw your entrance into the elevator," Kingsley cut in.

"Nymphadora!" Moody growled.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" Tonks's hair turned red then back to blue.

"She tripped and landed right on top of him! If someone hadn't seen her fall, they might think something else was going on right in the middle of the hallway." Kingsley howled with laughter. He winced as Tonks kicked him under the table.

"Yes, well, it's not the worst first impression that I've ever had," Remus was laughing even harder than he was earlier.

"No, it was probably the most embarrassing one though," Tonks blushed.

"Well, I'll give you that." Remus acknowledged.

There was a stupid smile on Remus's face as he talked to Tonks. I wanted to scream at him, but it would look highly undignified for the Minister's right hand witch to behave in such a manner in public.

They talked and laughed for another half-hour or so before Remus said his goodbyes.

Tonks even had to gall to ask him out on a date as he was leaving and he accepted! He even chose the time and place!

"You think he's sweet, don't you?" one of the other girl giggled once Remus was out of sight.

"Maybe." Tonks blushed slightly.

Remus wasn't supposed to flirt with one of the female Aurors. He wasn't supposed to even notice her. He was supposed to be so enamored with me and what I could do for him that he wouldn't look at anyone else.

In that moment, I wished I held more sway in the Aurors Department. If I did, I would have had her discharged for some reason or another. But Kingsley was in charge and he would never listen to me especially about something like that. Besides, this girl was Moody's protégé. It would take more than a few lies to get rid of her.

It was all too much, so I hurried away to my beautiful, pink sanctuary that was my office and slumped into my chair.

After pouring myself a cup of soothing tea, I let my mind wonder a little about my situation.

Remus knew how I felt about him, but he chose to still walk away from me.

_He_ had been the one to start this anyways, with his sidelong glances when he was a third year and I was in seventh. The longing looks had continued even after school. It had been all _his_ doing!

I was so lost in thought that I spilled my tea all down the front of my dress.

Today just wasn't my day. Then a toad croaked nearby.

AN: Please! No one feel sorry for her!


	29. Remus's Almost Perfect Day

**Remus's Good, Very Nice, Amazing, **

**Absolutely Wonderful, Almost Perfect Day**

**Remus**

I sighed as I got ready for work that morning.

It was just not my day, not that many were, but this one promised to be worse than usual. Mr. Bigglesdaff was probably going to lay me off because I knew he couldn't afford even my meager paycheck. Then I had to go to the Ministry sometime today to register under the newest law.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. Oh well, time to face the day. With that merry thought in my head, I flooed to work.

"Good morning, Remus!" Mr. Bigglesdaff greeted me cheerfully from where he was measuring off an area of the wall. "Wonderful day isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it is." This wasn't at all what I was expecting. I glanced around and found an assortment of builders' items scattered around the room.

"Just so you know you should be expecting ten more Galleons in your pocket a week as of this week, my boy, and another raise in the future."

"Sir?" Forty Galleons more a month? That would be enough to buy Wolfsbane, if I purchased it from Severus Snape—which was not only considerably cheaper because he made potions on the side, it was the best quality—as well as nicer robes and maybe even a better flat next month.

"I've just brokered a deal that has put us so deep into the black I highly doubt we'll ever see another day in the red. Now, come over here and help me. We're remodeling and getting new supplies."

"Yes, sir!" I took off my cloak and hung it up. Rolling up my sleeves, I asked, "What do you want done?"

"Well, how about you get the front worked on first. I went out this morning and got some things for it." He gestured to several pails of paint, stacks of boards, and a bucket of nails. "I heard from a very reliable source that you had excellent marks in Transfiguration when you were in school, so I figured you could help me out there.

"Also, if you need to take care of some _business_ today, I'll give you an extra hour for your lunch break."

"Yes, sir." I Levitated everything outside and got to work. There was a sign on the front door that said, "Closed today for remodeling. Will reopen tomorrow at usual time."

About half an hour later, Samuel Bigglesdaff came out and started helping me. He seemed as cheerful as any kid who had just graduated Hogwarts could be. This was not the Samuel I remembered from yesterday and it made me happy knowing that he was finally able to take the weight of the world off of his shoulders.

"So, what deal did your father make, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Don't know really. Someone came by late last night and talked to dad for a few minutes. When he came back in, he was carrying a bag of gold and looked younger than I've seen him in years. He didn't tell us the particulars of the deal, but I do know he got a lot of money out of it, so that's good."

"Wow, that's good."

"Yeah. Dad says things are going to be looking up from now on." Samuel lifted another board and I Transfigured it into a pair of shutters.

Carefully, I hung them and Charmed them covered with a coat of paint.

"This place is going to look nice when we're done," Samuel commented.

"Yeah, it definitely will." It was going to look like a whole new store and hopefully bring in more customers.

A new sidewalk was installed and flowers planted on either side. The front deck was replaced and flowerboxes placed under the windows—flowers of various magical properties were planted in them. A new store sign was also hung. All of the old boards were torn off the front and replaced with new ones and the entire store was repainted.

It was almost noon by the time I finished with the front and headed back inside. It was time to face the Ministry officials, namely Umbridge.

What did that woman have against me? As soon as it seemed things were going okay, she would pull another restriction out of her large backside.

I just hoped things kept going well for me and Mr. Bigglesdaff. If they did, then I would be okay and wouldn't have to go to Dumbledore for help like I did last time things got bad for me. He was the one who found this job for me

When Mr. Bigglesdaff caught sight of me pulling on my cloak, he said, "Good luck, my boy."

"Thank you, sir."

After a ten minute wait in line, I found myself seated across from Delores Umbridge. She was looking at me oddly, even for her. She was always staring at me, but this was downright unusual.

She was also wearing her hat over what looked like hair that looked like it hadn't been combed in a few days. In fact, it looked worse than James's ever did? What did she do, run her head against her pillow over and over again?

"Do you have a job?" I really hated her. Especially when she spoke in that overly sweet voice that just made me want to choke her and I'm not a violent person.

"Yes, ma'am." Best keep my sentences as short as possible to end my torment here.

"Full time?"

"Yes, ma'am." Why did it matter to her whether or not I had one? The look on her face suggested that she was having a severe case of constipation.

"And your employer knows your status?" she simpered at me. Someone _Avada_ me now.

"Yes ma'am."

"What does he have to say about it?"

"Nothing much ma'am." That was true. He never had talked about it.

"You mean that he accepts you?" She seemed truly shocked by that.

"Not so much that as he tolerates me." I didn't know if that was true or not, but better make Mr. Bigglesdaff seem as good in her eyes as I could. Not many would hire a werewolf much less give them a raise. So I tried to keep him out of as much trouble as I could.

"Why is that?"

"Because I don't ask for much. Just enough to keep a flat, food on the table, and clothes on my back."

"What do you do about the nights of the full moon?" She already knew the answer to that. No matter what the new legislation was, the questions never really changed.

"I lock myself in a room and stay there until morning. If I can afford it, I buy Wolfsbane Potion."

The questions continued like this for ten minutes. I was so irritated with her! None of the ones in front of me took this long! What was she playing at?

"I need you to sign this." She handed me a form and after skimming it quickly, I scrawled my name across the bottom.

"Is there anything else?"

"No." Umbridge seemed a little put out by that. What was her problem?

"Good day then." I stood and walked as quickly as I could out of her office.

The elevator stopped and a girl with electric blue hair tripped on the door frame and landed on top of me.

"Oh, Merlin. I'm so sorry! I'm just so clumsy sometimes. Here, let me help you." she held out her hand and I took it.

Once I was on my feet I brushed off my clothes. Then, seeing the slightly embarrassed looked on her face, I held out my hand, "Remus Lupin."

"Wotcher. I'm Tonks." She shook it and grinned cheerfully at me. She was very cute and she didn't seem to care about what other people thought of her.

"Tonks? Just Tonks? Is there another name?" I couldn't help but smile in return.

"There is, but I hate it, so I go by Tonks." She wrinkled her pert little nose. "It's Nymphadora. If you call me that, I'll curse you into next Tuesday." She held her wand threateningly under my chin.

"Very well, Tonks." I laughed.

Suddenly, the elevator jammed.

"I'm sorry for your inconvenience. We will have it running again shortly," a man's voice said over the invisible intercom.

Tonks said, "You seem to be in a good mood even though we're stuck in an elevator."

"Well, when I woke up this morning, I thought it was going to be a bad day, but as it turns out, Fate has a sense of humor."

"So, it didn't turn out so bad?"

"It turned out rather well actually. I kept my job, got a raise, and had no trouble with the Ministry."

"You're here for that new werewolf regulation?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I think it's stupid that they think they need to pass so many restrictions against anything not entirely human."

"Why is that?"

"Because, you can't help what you are anymore than I can help what I am!" With that she made her hair short and black with a blue streak in the front and back to blue again.

"You're a metamorphemagus?"

"Yep. Makes me get top marks in Concealment and Disguise," she stated proudly.

"How are you in Stealth?" I couldn't help but tease her after her entrance only moments earlier.

She stuck her tongue out at me then asked. "You're friends with my cousin Sirius, aren't you?"

"_Was_. I _was_ friends with him. Until he betrayed James and Lily," I ground out.

"I don't think he's guilty. Moody and Kingsley don't really think so either, but as he didn't get a trial, we don't know for sure. I heard that there are some other people out there who think he's wrongfully imprisoned."

"Then why did he act the way he did afterwards?" The image of Sirius laughing as he was carried away to Azkaban was forever burned in my memory.

"Because he's a Black. When things go terribly wrong we just start laughing for no good reason other than we don't know what else to do. It's like our minds overload with anger and pain then shuts down and we just start laughing. It happened to me when I thought I killed my mother a few years back after I got really angry."

"We have now fixed the problem and you can now continue on your way," the voice over the intercom spoke again.

The elevator dinged. I looked up and realized it was my floor. "Good day, Tonks."

"Wait, stay and have lunch with me. I'm meeting Moody and Kingsley and a few others so you're welcome to join us."

I thought about it for a second. It _had_ been a while since I had seen Moody and Kingsley. "Sure. I don't have to be at work for another hour or so."

"Great!" We waited for a few more floors. When the elevator doors opened Tonks said, "Come on, let's go!" She grabbed my hand and led me down the hallway.

"Hey, everyone!" Tonks greeted the people at the table.

There were various people who said, "Hey, Tonks."

"For those of you who don't know, this is Remus Lupin," she introduced me.

"Remus, didn't think I'd be running into you today!" Moody growled.

"Yeah, well, Mr. Bigglesdaff gave me an extra hour over lunch today, to take care of business so…"

"It's good to see you again," Kingsley interjected.

Soon we were all chatting like old friends.

Nymphadora Tonks was unlike any woman I'd ever met. She knew what I was and yet she was still talking to me and smiling at me. _Wait a second, Remus, you're too old and too dangerous. She needs someone young and undamaged._

I glanced at the clock. I'd better get back to work.

"Well, it's been nice meeting you all and seeing old friends again, but I really have to get back to work." I pulled my cloak on and started to walk away.

"Remus," Tonks called.

I turned around.

"Perhaps you could meet me for coffee or something and tell me what Sirius was like before he went to Azkaban, you know, when he was in school."

"Sure. I know some interesting tales about that man." That is before he turned Dark.

"Where and what time?" She smiled.

"This Saturday at two. You know where Mr. Bigglesdaff's store is?" If she didn't, well, it wasn't too hard to find now that it looked so nice.

"I know where it is, my mother shops there all the time."

"There's a little shop across the street to the right. They serve the best pastries and coffee I've ever had."

"I'll see you then. Remus, think about what I said earlier."

"I will." She'd given me a lot to think about with her explanation as to Sirius's damning laughter. "Goodbye."

Everyone called goodbye after me and I walked out of the café.

I walked slowly on my way back to the floo. In a way, I'd hoped to see Tonks again before I left, but flooed away before I sought her out because I was low on time.

_What the hell are you doing, Remus? You aren't supposed to take her out on a date. _Yeah, well, it's not a date. It's friends getting together to discuss a mutual acquaintance. _Keep telling yourself that, Remus. Just keep telling yourself that._

"Oh, Remus, look at what was sent over as a gift!" Mr. Bigglesdaff held up a beautiful Chinese symbol for good fortune carved in the richest ebony I had ever seen. "Spells are already in place, too. At least that's what Erniko said," Mr. Bigglesdaff seemed very pleased, as he should be. Erniko sold the best charms and was renowned all over Europe for his fine craftsmanship. His pieces cost a pretty Knut too.

"Oh, here's something for you too. Said you're supposed to where it around your neck or something like that. It's supposed to be indestructible and will never get lost or taken from you. And it's Charmed too." He handed me a much smaller version hung as a pendant on a solid platinum chain. In the center of the pendant was a small ruby.

"This must have cost a fortune!" I breathed as I held it in my hands. "Do you know who sent this over?"

"No idea. Erniko said they were from a friend, but didn't give a name."

Wordlessly, I slipped the Charm over my head. This seemed almost too good to be true. In one day, I had gotten a raise, the store I worked at got remodeled, and I met a girl—not that I was going to pursue her—and now I'd received a gift that cost thousands of Galleons more than I would ever see at a time.

Tears pricked my eyes. Maybe not everyone had abandoned me when James died. Somewhere out there I had a guardian angel looking out for me.

"Whoever gave this to us really must want me to succeed and you too." Mr. Bigglesdaff wiped a tear away from his eye. "After all these years, Fate is now smiling on the two of us."

"Does this have something to do with that deal you made?" I asked. It was too much of a coincidence for it not to be.

"Don't know. This wasn't brought up, but you know, it could very well be. They were more than willing to just hand over the money without me even asking for it. So, maybe they're just helping me along a little."

_Thank you, whoever you are._ It was said like a prayer to whatever deity would listen to me would shower the one who'd shown me this kindness with blessings.

_You're more than welcome, Remus Lupin._ I distinctly heard a woman's voice whisper in my head. The voice was soft, low and sounded like the most haunting melody.

Startled, I looked up and saw a girl in black leaning against the side of a building. I couldn't see her face because she had it shaded with a hat. Was that the angel who'd given me a fighting chance against Fate? When she caught me looking, she waved at me and walked away whistling a melancholy tune that I heard a time or two when I visited James and Lily. I think the piece was called "Scarborough Fair." Harry had loved that song and requested that it be sung every night before he went to sleep.

Harry. Maybe this pendant would enable me to visit Harry wherever he lived. Would he be proud of me? I hoped he would be. I was his "Unca Moomy." At least I was when he couldn't speak right.

The inside of Mr. Bigglesdaff's shop received a through scrubbing and a fresh coat of white paint. Shelves were replaced and new ones put up. New light fixtures were installed as well as a new counter and cash register.

The new supplies arrived and Mr. Bigglesdaff's wife and daughters joined in, helping redecorate the store and restock shelves.

At the end of the day, we had remodeled the entire store, inside and out. It now looked like an entirely different place.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Mr. Bigglesdaff asked. He was exceedingly proud of his new store, as any man in his position should be.

"Very." I liked knowing that I had helped make this store the way it looked now.

"Just so you know I appreciate you sticking with us and all. I know it couldn't have been easy for you."

"Thank you, sir. It's just difficult for someone like me to find a job and when I do find one, I know I'd better stick with it because who knows when I'll find another one."

"Very true, my boy, very true."

I grabbed my cloak and walked out the back door.

Mr. Bigglesdaff followed me and locked and warded the place up. "Good night, Remus, see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, sir."

Today had turned out to be my day indeed.


	30. Tonk's Mixed Up Day

**Tonks**

I was _so_ late! Moody was going to give it to me today! Apparently all of the Aurors and Auror trainees were supposed to be at the Ministry because of the latest Werewolf Restriction Act. Here I was, still at home and I was supposed to be at the office three minutes ago!

I tripped over a pile of books on my floor and ran to the floo.

After stumbling in and out of it, I ran as fast as I could to Moody's office. I shoved people out of my path and nearly did a face-plant along the way

"Nymphadora!" Moody barked as soon as I opened the door.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" I bit out, my hair turning red as I spoke. Yes, I knew I was late, but that was no reason to start calling me by my first name.

"You are three minutes late," Moody growled.

"I know, I'm sorry. I cut my knee in the shower and it took me a little while to find my wand to heal it."

"Well, don't worry about it. It doesn't start for another fifteen minutes. Go out there and take your post." Moody gave an uncharacteristic smile, which looked more like a grimace, and said, "No one's really worried about this anyway. Umbridge is just a little…well you know what I mean."

"Yes, sir! Thank you!"

"Constant vigilance!" Moody shouted after me.

I found Kingsley standing in the back of the room along with a few other Aurors. He saw me and motioned for me to stand next to him.

"Something strange is going on with Umbridge today," he muttered to me.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but she seems really flustered about something. Best keep a sharp eye, because for all you know one of _them_ may try to eat her while they're in there!" Kingsley joked as he gestured to the werewolves already in line. "After all one tried to eat her not to long ago."

We both snickered. A few weeks earlier Umbridge had tried to convince everyone that a werewolf had attacked her while she was out on important Ministry business.

"_If it hadn't been for my superior Magical ability, I would either be dead or one of them," _she'd shrieked wildly.

Unfortunately for her, none of us really believed her because the night that this attack was supposed to have taken place was a new moon.

"Too bad someone hasn't broken into her house and done something to her," I whispered conspiratorially.

"After you."

"Unlucky for me, I didn't inherit my cousin's pranking expertise."

"Or your aunt's grace. You'd trip and wake her up before you even got started."

I stuck my tongue out at him for that remark. Narcissa Malfoy nee Black was renowned for being one of the most graceful and beautiful witches alive. How could anyone expect me to measure up to her?

"There you two are. How's everything been? Anyone try to eat her yet?" Moody asked.

"Yes. About two minutes ago we had a major battle. Blood, guts, and gore. We lost four, but we won. You just missed it," I replied dryly.

Moody chuckled, "I told them this was all a waste of time."

"Umbridge is up to something," Kingsley mused.

"When isn't she up to something?" I asked. It seemed that she always had an ulterior agenda planned, but no one could figure out what it was.

"Good point," Kingsley conceded.

"So, basically, we're all doing nothing all day unless we get called out," Moody grumbled. "This is one of those times when I wish we still had Death Eaters to chase."

"I'm going to go take a lunch break about ten minutes after noon. We could get a few people together and make today not a total waste of time," I suggested.

"Not exactly work, Nympha-" Moody started, but I cut him off.

"Don't call me Nymphadora! Besides, it's not like we'll be doing a whole lot today anyways other than protecting against a non-threat."

"Get only people I can tolerate," Moody said as he stumped away.

I smiled and pulled out a few sheets of parchment and a quill and scrawled out my invitations to meet us for lunch.

While I was on my knees writing, I saw a beautiful girl dressed all in black with a black hat on her head flick her wand at Umbridge's door. Her black hair was shorn nearly to the scalp in the back and on one side with the other side down to her shoulders. There was a strip of blue the same color as mine near the front of the long side. She was also tiny, almost the size of a Second Year in height but with amazing proportions.

But before I could say anything, she was gone, giggling madly as she went. I couldn't help but notice how graceful she was. It made me just a little jealous that someone could be that pretty and that graceful and here I was clumsy and merely cute at best. She reminded me almost of Aunt Narcissa, but somehow this girl was somehow even more beautiful and graceful.

A few minutes later another werewolf went into Umbridge's office and from my angle, I could see into her office. That was how I figured out what the girl had done. Umbridge looked like she'd stuck her finger in a light socket! She of course tried to cover it up with her hat. But all she succeeded in doing was look like a bush wearing a hat.

"You will not believe what I just saw!" I whispered to Kingsley.

"What?"

"I saw a girl wave her wand at Umbridge's office and now, Umbridge's hair is a complete disaster."

"You cannot be serious!"

"I am! While I was writing, I looked up and there this girl was, giggling like she'd been given a too strong Cheering Charm!"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because she's not actually causing trouble!"

"No, I mean why didn't you tell me to look at Umbridge when you saw her?"

"Because if I'd opened my mouth, I would have laughed and then everyone would look at me and Moody'd be mad at me even though today is a total waste and that was the most exciting thing that's happened."

"Everyone, even Moody, would be laughing too. Who was the girl, did you recognize her?"

"No, but if I ever saw her again, I'm sure I would."

"Why's that?"

"Because of her unusual hair and she is also very pretty and really tiny." I then proceeded to describe the girl to him.

"So basically, she looked like someone you'd hang out with?"

"Yeah. Actually, I think I would. She was extremely graceful too. Like some sort of dancer or something not human."

"Maybe she could give you some pointers on how to stay upright." Kingsley laughed like it was a great joke. Then again, my clumsiness was a source of amusement in the department just like Umbridge being a toad was among everyone.

"I'll get you for that." I shook my finger at him.

Just then, a man with sandy hair walked into Umbridge's office. Kingsley looked like he recognized him.

"Who was that?"

"Remus Lupin. He was a friend of both James and Sirius before that night."

"He looks so sad."

"Probably because that night, he lost everything."

"Poor man."

"He lost four friends that night and his life as well."

"Was that when he was, you know…" I didn't know how to phrase the question.

"No. He's been like that for years. I don't even know when he was changed. But his friends were his life. After they were all gone, he had nothing left. Now, I think the thing that keeps him going is the fact that Harry is alive and well."

"Where is Harry living anyway?"

"No one knows. Dumbledore is keeping that one close. All I know is," Kingsley put up a _Mufflato_, "he's no longer with his relatives. No one, not even the Minister knows that." As soon as he said that, he released the spell.

"Hey, it's almost time to eat, and I have to go to the ladies' room. I'll meet you there." I went to an elevator and down to the ladies room.

As I came out, I got turned around and found myself headed for the guests' elevator. Oh, well, may as well.

The door opened and I tripped over nothing! Well, that was a first, usually, it's my own feet. Instead of landing on my face, I fell onto something, it felt like a body. When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring down at Remus Lupin!

"Oh, Merlin. I'm so sorry! I'm just so clumsy sometimes. Here, let me help you." I held out my hand and he took it.

His skin was warm and soft. I wondered how the rest of him felt without his clothes on. Were his lips as soft and gentle as his touch was? He looked like he had a nice body under his robes. _Tonks! What the hell are you thinking? You don't even know the man and you're already fantasizing about stripping him?_

"Remus Lupin." He held out his hand.

"Wotcher. I'm Tonks." I smiled at him, thankful that he hadn't been able to read my thoughts.

"Tonks? Just Tonks? Is there another name?" He smiled back at me.

"There is, but I hate it, so I go by Tonks." I wrinkled my nose in distaste. He looked at me curiously so I caved. "It's Nymphadora. If you call me that, I'll curse you into next Tuesday." I pulled out my wand and held it under his chin.

"Very well, Tonks." He laughed.

He had a very nice laugh and I wanted to hear it again.

Suddenly, the elevator jammed.

"I'm sorry for your inconvenience. We will have it running again shortly," a man's voice said over the invisible intercom.

I noticed his good mood and said, "You seem to be in a good mood even though we're stuck in an elevator."

"Well, when I woke up this morning, I thought it was going to be a bad day, but as it turns out, Fate has a sense of humor." At least someone was having a good day. I was late for work and then I fall on top of a man I don't know and then I try imagining him without his clothes on.

"So, it didn't turn out so bad?"

"It turned out rather well actually. I kept my job, got a raise, and had no trouble with the Ministry."

"You're here for that new werewolf regulation?" I already knew he was, but still, it was best to pretend I didn't know so he wouldn't be too embarrassed.

"Yes."

"Oh. I think it's stupid that they think they need to pass so many restrictions against anything not entirely human."

"Why is that?"

"Because, you can't help what you are anymore than I can help what I am!" With that I turned my hair to what I'd seen that girl who seemed to have pranked Umbridge have and back to blue again.

"You're a metamorphemagus?" He seemed impressed.

"Yep. Makes me get top marks in Concealment and Disguise," I stated proudly.

"How are you in Stealth?" He was teasing me now about my entrance into the elevator.

I stuck my tongue out at him then asked. "You're friends with my cousin Sirius, aren't you?"

"_Was_. I _was_ friends with him. Until he betrayed James and Lily," He spat out.

"I don't think he's guilty. Moody and Kingsley don't really think so either, but as he didn't get a trial, we don't know for sure. I heard that there are some other people out there who think he's wrongfully imprisoned, but unfortunately, the Minister refuses to listen to us."

"Then why did he act the way he did afterwards?"

"Because he's a Black. When things go terribly wrong we just start laughing for no good reason other than we don't know what else to do. It's like our minds overload with anger and pain then shuts down and we just start laughing. It happened to me when I thought I killed my mother a few years ago after I got really angry and nearly destroyed the house." It still sent chills down my spine at the memory. Dad had thought I had gone around the twist that day.

"We have now fixed the problem and you can now continue on your way," the voice over the intercom spoke again.

The elevator dinged. He looked up and realized it was his floor. "Good day, Tonks."

No! He couldn't leave me yet! "Wait, stay and have lunch with me. I'm meeting Moody and Kingsley and a few others so you're welcome to join us."

He thought about it for a few seconds. "Sure. I don't have to be at work for another hour or so."

"Great!" We waited for a few more floors. When the elevator doors opened again I said, "Come on, let's go!" I grabbed his hand and led him down the hallway. I wanted to touch him as much as I could. Call me stupid or childish, I don't care. I was falling hopelessly in love and I barely knew the man.

Umbridge walked in a few minutes later, looking frazzled and grumpy.

"Hey, Kingsley, there she is!" I whispered.

The others with me looked at her and started snickering. When she sat near us, we quickly started talking about something so she wouldn't know we were laughing at her hair.

We talked and laughed for a good hour before Remus stood up stating it was time for him to leave.

On impulse, I asked him on a non-date.

To my surprise, he accepted and then was gone.

Umbridge left a few minutes later, followed by someone I could have sworn was the girl from earlier, but her hair was different. She was dressed the same and her hair was still black. Maybe she was like me, so…

"What was up with Umbridge's hair?" Moody asked. "I mean usually she's so prim and proper and now, she looks like she got hit with a couple o' spells that did nothing good for her. Not that any would be able to help her much, but still."

"I saw a girl earlier today, outside her office. She waved her wand and then started giggling like my aunt Bellatrix as she ran away. After that, Umbridge's hair looked like the way it does now." I laughed at the memory.

"Well, she did a good job!" Moody sniggered. "Never thought I'd see the day when Delores Umbridge looked anything less than "Pink Perfection.""

We all laughed at that and went our separate ways.


	31. Mischief Managed For Now

**Elizabeth**

"So, what are your plans for today?" Regulus asked after I had finished my breakfast.

"I think I'll go see how my meddling has affected dear old Umbitch's Slytherin worthy plan that Lucius Malfoy would be jealous of."

"She said that?" Regulus snickered.

"Yeah. She seemed right bitter towards him too."

"She had a bit of a thing for him when she was in third year or so, but that all changed when he found Narcissa and she realized she couldn't break them up. Now, it seems that she's obsessed with Remus. What is it with her and guys who can't stand her?"

"Because people almost always want what they can't have." After I drained the last of my cup of blood, I stood up, "Well, I'm off to assess the damage and maybe mess around a little more."

"Lucius Malfoy would be jealous of you, not her."

"I know. Except I highly doubt Lucius would make her kitty plates moon her." I chuckled as I fixed a fedora at a jaunty angle on my head.

"You'd better tell me all about it when you get back," Regulus said.

"Don't worry, I will." With that, I traipsed laughing out of the house.

Cheerfully, I walked down the street past Mr. Bigglesdaff's General Store. Remus and a boy, Mr. Bigglesdaff's son I assumed, were fixing up the front. Already, it looked a whole lot better and would look even nicer by the time they were finished.

I spent an hour or so browsing the shops, just looking for something, anything that might happen to catch my eye. In a shop in an out of the way part of the Alley, I spied something intriguing.

**Erniko's Specialty Charms**

**Advanced Charms, Items to Charm etc.**

I Saw the amount I would need to make the desired purchases and went to Gringotts to withdraw it. It was a great deal of money, more than most people would see in a few years, but then again these things were worth it.

After I left the bank, I hurried down to the shop. The bell over the door jingled as I slipped inside.

Power pulsed from every corner and Magic swirled around me like a comforting blanket.

"Hello?" I called.

"Ah. Hello. What can I do for you?" An Asian man about Regulus's age came around the corner. This man was a very powerful, very talented wizard.

"Are you Erniko?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for, but I have a basic idea."

"Well, tell me what it is, this is my specialty after all."

I laughed, "That is true. Well, I'm looking for something to bring good fortune. But I have never really been in the market for anything like this before, so I have no clue what I should be looking for."

"Here. I have a whole selection of Charms and such. Now, I have to warn you, they are very pricey."

"Money is no object."

"Well, then. Here are my best pieces. I make them and place the Charms into them as they are being formed."

"How would they respond to other Charms being added to them?"

"Oh, they'll work very well. Why?"

"Because, I just want to bring the best possible fortune to some people as well as make sure these things can't get lost or stolen."

"Hm. Well, let's see." He examined a few pieces as though trying to make up his mind about what to offer me.

"What about, say, a necklace or pendant?" I asked.

"Here. How about these?" He held up a few different kinds.

"I like that one with the ruby. I'll go ahead and take that."

Erniko sent the pendent to the counter and I walked around the shop, trying to find something else. "I want something for Mr. Bigglesdaff's store, but I haven't seen it yet, so I'll just keep looking."

"I know he needs help and deserves it, but why did you choose to help him?"

"If I help him, then I undermine someone I can't stand. Please keep it quiet what I've told you."

"Of course. I never tell what I know. May I ask who the pendant is for?"

"Remus Lupin."

"So, that's what it is! You're keeping Remus employed to undermine that Umbridge woman!"

"I can't stand her!" I snarled.

"Few can," Erniko muttered darkly. "So, because you are undermining Umbridge, I will take off a three hundred Galleons off your end total."

"Thank you. Now, I need a wall decoration. Hm." I looked around. There, in the far corner, I spotted the one I hadn't even realized I'd been searching for. "That one!" I exclaimed excitedly. "That one is perfect!"

We took my purchases to his back room and we worked to place the Charms.

"You know some complex spells, my friend. I would like for you to teach them to me," Erniko said.

"Well, how about I get one pendent free and I'll show you how to cast the Charms for my lesson. I'll also buy two more and you can practice on them."

Erniko thought about it carefully. "Consider it a deal. These spells could earn me a great deal more money later."

"Very well." I went out into the shop and picked out three more pendants. Two had emeralds in them and one had a ruby center, like Remus's. It would match their House colors.

I taught him my spells, and he practiced on the other two, just like our agreement.

"Anything else?"

"What kinds of pendants are good for potion masters?"

"Let's see. These bring good fortune and protection to the wearer, but don't interfere with the potion."

"I'll take that one this one." The pendant was very similar to the others I had gotten, but the Magic was just a little different, more subtle so it wouldn't interfere with the delicate Magic involved in Severus's work.

"What kind of chains do you want on the pendants?"

I thought about it for a minute before deciding, "Platinum."

"That metal is quite costly, you know."

"I know. But gold and black don't look as well together as white and black, at least in my opinion."

With a wave of his wand, the pendants were all hanging from platinum chains. "Your total is 599,700 Galleons."

I took the bag out of my pocket and handed it to him. He checked the amount with a quick spell and smiled, "It's right."

"I want the first pendant and the wall decoration sent to Mr. Bigglesdaff's shop today during lunch. Have them wrapped and labeled with their names on the packages. As for the last four, I will deliver them personally to their recipients."

"Of course. Who shall I say they're from?"

"A friend."

"Of course." He smiled and proceeded to finish my order. He should be smiling. He'd just sold more than half a million Galleons worth of merchandise, learned some new spells, and undermined Umbitch all in the course of a few hours.

The other pendants would be given when they were needed the most.

Whistling cheerfully, I found the nearest floo and went to the Ministry of Magic to cause some more mischief.

Slinking around Umbitch's office, I saw that her hair was still the way it was when she'd left that morning. That _had_ to change and now. So, with a quick wave of my wand, her hair was my definition of perfection on her: so frazzled it looked like she'd snogged a lightening rod during a thunderstorm.

I scurried away giggling before any of the Aurors standing in the back of the room saw me because I didn't feel like answering any questions as to what I was doing.

Yes, I was helping Remus, but he needed help because all his friends had either betrayed him, died, or went to prison for crimes they didn't commit. Besides, it's not like I had to actually be around him to help him, since werewolves and I didn't exactly get along very well.

After I was sure Remus's interview was over, I Looked for him and found him walking towards an elevator. On another floor, there was a girl with electric blue hair—a girl after my own heart, I liked her already—walking towards the same elevator. I had Seen them together in the future so I wanted to give them a little push in that direction. Remus was just like my dad on his views about himself, but I knew he was a sweet man who deserved a girl who would make him laugh.

I ran faster than anyone could see to the floor where the girl was going to get on. She was already a little clumsy, just like my mom was as a human, so I would just helped her a little.

The doors opened and I flicked my wand. She tripped and sprawled on top of Remus. There, now they had to talk to each other.

With another quick flick of my wand, the elevator shut down for a few minutes. It was just long enough for them to get better acquainted so she would ask him to eat with her and a few of their mutual Auror friends.

Umbitch would come to the café and see Remus and Tonks together and get even more depressed than she already was. Perfect. The opportunity to ruin her day even more was just too good not to witness.

Hiding so no one would see my transformation, I changed my hair from its usual punk 'do into long straight black hair. As soon as I was satisfied, but not entirely pleased, with my new look, I hurried up to the food court and headed to the café that they were going to.

I ordered a plate of food and took a seat in the corner. Though nothing much would happen, I wanted to see Umbitch's face when she saw Remus with another woman.

A few minutes after the Aurors had ordered their food and were eating, Umbitch walked in. She looked very miserable indeed and it made me very happy knowing that it was mostly because of me.

Usually, I wanted to help people, but this woman had caused so many problems for innocent people that she needed to realize that life didn't revolve around her.

When she caught sight of Remus sort of flirting with Tonks, she got an even more dejected and there was a hint of jealousy on her face. It didn't help that her hair still looked like she had no idea what a comb was.

I snickered softly at the sight and it was all I could do to keep from laughing outright when she took a table close to where they were.

The friendlier Remus and Tonks got with each other, the more depressed she became.

As I watched them, it made me smile to see just how like my parents Remus and Tonks were. He was a monster who hated what he was and she was a clumsy girl who would love him no matter what. My eyes misted slightly. If I had anything to say about it, Remus and Tonks too would have a happy ending, just like Edward and Bella did.

Tonks asked Remus out on a date and when Remus accepted, Umbitch looked downright sick.

I almost danced right there in the café. Things were happening just like they should. Though Remus would still have a hard time accepting that she loved him, this was indeed a step in the right direction. _My_ Slytherin worthy scheme was falling together quite well.

True, there would be snags that I would have to smooth out, but that was life, there were always problems. Even in fairytale romances like my parents had people were still stubborn and argued and crappy things happened—like me running away—but nothing could really be done about that.

After Umbitch listened to a few more minutes of Tonks's friends teasing her about Remus, she left for her office. And I, being the good little bitch that I am, followed her.

She was seated in her chair with a cup of tea in her hands. After a few minutes of nothing, I was just getting ready to play a prank on her, when she spilled her tea down the front of her dress.

I decided to do something anyway so I flicked my wand and her tea pot croaked.

Take that _Marauders_. I just ruined the day of a Ministry official by pranking her for the past twenty-four hours and got away with it.

Snickering softly, I flooed quickly to the Leaky Cauldron and from there Apparated to a point near to Bigglesdaff's store. I wanted to be there when Bigglesdaff showed Remus my presents to them.

I made sure my hat was fixed over my normal—well normal for me—hair and watched the little bit of joy I'd created. I was such a voyeur. I would never know happiness like that, so I watched others be happy with the things I did for them.

Remus looked like he was about to cry when he realized he'd received a pendant as well. Poor guy. After James died and Sirius went to prison, I guess no one really cared about him. I wanted to hug him, but the knowledge that he was a werewolf would send my inner vampire into a frenzy.

_Thank you, whoever you are._ He whispered inside his head.

_You're more than welcome, Remus Lupin._ I couldn't help but reply.

He looked up at me. With a smile he couldn't see, I waved at him before walking away whistling 'Scarborough Fair.'

Happily, I found the nearest floo to go home and tell Regulus of my adventures.


	32. Nirvana

**Elizabeth**

I went to sleep that night thinking about the fun I'd had, but my dreams had nothing to do with my mischief.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a garden much like the biblical Garden of Eden and I had a feeling I wasn't alone.

"Hello?" I called as I stood up. My clothes were white robes, the kind worn by Greek or Roman noblewomen. Confused, I looked around. "Is anyone there?" I was standing on the edge of a serene lake. Swans floated on the water and birds chirped in the trees. The air was soft and balmy. There was no trace of toxins anywhere. Soft breezes blew my long copper curls around my face and I could feel the cool grass beneath my feet.

This was no dream. Somehow, I was actually in this perfect place.

I walked along the shore of the lake and looked around me, taking in the beauty of this paradise.

"Hello, Elizabeth. I've been waiting a long time for you." A beautiful black haired woman who was dressed similarly to me stepped from behind the trees. Her bare feet dug into the earth just a little as she walked down the slope towards me. Her hands were slender, graceful as she brushed the branches of the weeping willow aside and her skin glowed softly like mine in the non-sun light.

"What is this place and why am I here and who are you?" I probably sounded rude and impatient but the truth was I was a little freaked out by the fact I had no idea what the hell was going on.

"This is Nirvana. It is neither heaven nor hell, though both places exist." Her voice was beautiful, like a vampire's. "It is a place of rest and peace. You are here because you were chosen centuries before you were born for this task. As for who I am, well, my name is Didyme but you must call me May." May sat down and gestured for me to sit beside her. I noticed her eyes were very dark, black almost.

"Why me?" I asked. This woman looked vaguely familiar though I knew I'd never seen her before.

"Because you have the abilities that are desperately needed and I am to teach you to use them. You are very powerful now, but you have the capability to do so much more. Lily opened the way for us to communicate. I will guide you into doing what needs to be done for the defeat of Tom Riddle."

I stayed quiet for a few moments, processing what May had told me. It was nice to have someone to lead me because I still felt like a child inside, alone and afraid and not knowing what to do. "What is Nirvana really?"

"It is the place where certain people go after they die."

"What kind of people?"

"That is a lesson for a later date."

I looked around and noticed that we seemed to be completely alone though I could feel the others' presence. "Where is everyone?"

"They are giving us privacy. They know who you are and they wanted to meet you, but they know that they can't. I am the only one allowed to communicate with you now. Lily was allowed contact you for a short while to save the life of her son because he is needed for the final battle against Tom Riddle. She is no longer allowed to speak to you because you finished her assignment by taking in and healing her son."

"What did she mean about seeing me again?" That had bugged me from the moment Lily said it the night I found Harry.

"That is also a lesson for another time. Right now, it is not important."

"How did you get here?"

"I died." May's voice was flat as though the incident still hurt her to think about.

"Then how am I here? Am I dead too?" I sure as hell better not be dead or I was going to try to kill someone or in the very least kick someone's ass.

"No. You are very much alive and in your bed. You are just having what some people would call 'an out of body experience.'" May laughed because apparently my expression was giving away what I was thinking before she explained how I was there.

"Please don't think me rude, but how did you die?"

"My brother believed he was doing the right thing by killing me, only to discover how wrong he was. I forgave him centuries ago because of the guilt that continually eats at him after he realized his mistake, but I never got to live out my life." May wrapped her hands around her knees and rested her back against the tree. Her eyes closed and she seemed lost in thought. A sad smile played at the corner of her lips as though she was remembering the life she left behind.

"There is something else, isn't there?" I pressed because this didn't seem like it was just about taking down the Dark Lord.

Didyme, where had I heard that name before? I heard it in passing when I was a child but the name wasn't essential to the conversation so I sort of lost it in the recesses of my mind. Then it dawned on me. She was Aro's sister, Marcus's mate! Now I knew why she looked familiar. She resembled the painting of Aro in Carlisle's study though her lips were fuller and she was more beautiful than her brother.

"I am only allowed to give one lesson at a time. Now is not the time for that lesson. You are stubborn and strong. There is also a deep compassion in you, though most people don't see it, which controls everything you do. Those traits are needed for the journey you are about to embark on." A wan smile pulled at the corners of May's mouth. "In a way, you remind me of someone I loved with all my heart years ago. I still love him and hope that we will meet again soon. I wish…" her voice trailed off.

"What?" For some reason her thoughts were silent to me so I had no idea what was going through her mind.

"That is a lesson for another time. You will be hearing from me quite often in the years to come because I am most anxious for the final lesson I have for you. Don't go looking for when and over what your lessons will be because you won't be able to See that." May grinned at me and I couldn't help but smile in return.

"So when do we start?" I hated being left in the dark and she was leaving me that way. She knew I always liked knowing what was happening so she refused to tell me her curriculum that way I would follow her instructions to the letter so that I would be able to move on to the next lesson.

"Now. Though this not really a lesson, it is an introduction of what is to come. I will speak to you whenever there is something to be learned from a particular moment."

"So at random intervals you'll start talking to me?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Pretty much, yes."

"Will I be allowed to talk about you?"

"Only a little. Call me your teacher, but you must never tell anyone who I really am and the fact that I'm dead." May was very serious about this. All hints of a smile were gone from her face. "It is important that you keep that part in the dark."

"I understand. Why did you decide to contact me now? Why not earlier?"

"Because the time has come for you to start learning about yourself, what you can do, and why you were born."

What did she mean by that? Why I was born? Instead of asking the questions that boiled on the tip of my tongue and that I should be asking about, I asked the one that piqued my interest the most, "Why did Aro kill you?"

She seemed a little surprised that I put her and her brother together so quickly. "He felt that my presence was ripping the Volturi apart. So, to keep his band of merry men together, he killed me. It was only after the fire of my burning was reduced to smoldering ashes that he realized his mistake but by then it was too late of course. Not a day goes by that he doesn't wish he'd done something different because every time he touches Marcus, he sees the pain he caused someone he calls 'brother.'"

"If you saw Aro again what would you do?"

"Punch him in the face and then tell him that I forgave him as I helped him to his feet." May smiled. "It is time for you to wake up now. Time passes a great deal more slowly up here than it does on Earth, so good morning." May stood up and walked away.

I blinked rapidly a few times to find myself curled up in my bed at Wainwright. Rolling onto my back, I stared at the ceiling thinking about the things I'd learned during the night.

Now I had one more thing in my arsenal against the Dark Lord: a dead woman named Didyme who was just as cunning and clever as her brother, if not more so, only more caring and kinder than he.

It was still hard to believe that Aro had murdered his sister. Yes, I could see his reasoning, but to actually kill her and destroy Marcus that way, it was unfathomable. She forgave him, well mostly, so I guess I shouldn't dwell on the matter.


	33. Encounters at Flourish and Blotts

**Elizabeth**

The children were now home from Hogwarts and had so much to tell me.

"We won the House Cup!" Hermione was hanging on my arm as we walked from the train to a place where we could Apparate safely.

"We were only twenty points behind, but we still won the Quidditch Cup!" Harry informed me. "You know that match you went to? Well anyways, about two weeks later, there was something really Dark in the castle, but it fled. Quirrell wasn't able to teach for three days, but after he came back, he didn't stutter, he actually taught us something, and my scar didn't hurt when he was around."

There was also news that Dumbledore had hired a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher because Quirrell left after the term was over to rest and write a book about his ordeal. Who they had selected to take his place was abominable: Lockhart. I couldn't believe that Dumbledore would do something like that, but apparently the Board had more to do with that decision than Dumbledore did. So we were stuck with five-time-winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most Charming Smile Award whose smile isn't so charming.

"I can't believe he's going to be the DADA teacher!" I seethed to Regulus after the children were in bed. I had a shot of Fire whiskey in my hand, which was a rare occurrence, but I indulged tonight because I was so angry. "He's just stupid and ignorant and not worthy of anything but a cell in Azkaban for what he's done."

"Prank him."

"Ah, that's only for Umbitch when I have nothing better to do." I waved my hand dismissively.

"You have nothing better to do now," Regulus pointed out.

"Eh," I wrinkled my nose as I shook my head. A Vision was slowly beginning to take shape and I rather liked the looks of it, well as far as Lockhart was concerned. The rest of it, I didn't like so much.

"Reveal him."

"No, not yet. I want him to teach this year. Let the parents see how much their children learn under his _fabulous_," I rolled my eyes, "tutelage." I grinned deviously.

"That would technically be a prank."

"No. It's called 'Karma's a bigger bitch than I thought,'" I said and drained my shot.

"I thought Umbridge was the bitch."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"I know, I know. He did all this stuff to other people and now it comes back around to bite him in the ass. You don't have to remind me. Though, Karma can't be too happy at you for interfering so much."

"Me interfere with Karma? Never. Besides, I'm not interfering. I'm simply helping it along. I give what I feel people deserve."

"And what does _dear_ Lockhart deserve?"

"To be embarrassed for all he's worth, or at the very least, scared out of his tacky robes. I mean, he dresses worse than Dumbledore!"

Regulus laughed and asked, "And how are you going to ensure that that happens?"

"Oh, I'm not embarrassing him, at least not for a while yet. The Dark Lord might scare him, though." I'd Seen that he would indeed try to come back again and a little redheaded girl would suffer all this year because of it.

"He's making another attempt?"

"Yes. Of all the years to hire an even worse fool to teach DADA: when the Dark Lord going to make one of his most dangerous attempts." I sighed and rubbed my temples. This was going to be a disaster.

"When will he finally come back?" Regulus asked his face slightly pale.

"Not for another two years. Someone's going to die because of it, but I can't See who." My brow furrowed as I struggled to See the hazy images in my head.

"When he comes back, there will be more than just one person dying," Regulus muttered darkly.

_You must begin training Harry and Hermione._ May's voice whispered in my head. _They need to be prepared for the trials ahead and with Lockhart, they will fall behind. Start giving them the tools now they need._

It was now time to start turning them into one of the Dark Lord's worst nightmares. Only this time, his nightmares would be real. I smiled darkly at the thought.

So because of what May told me, I gave Harry and Hermione assignments for DADA and one hour every day was devoted to practical wand work. Actually, mine was Defense With the Dark Arts, so technically, it was DWDA. Not that I was planning on teaching them anything too terrible, but to combat the Dark Lord, sometimes his own weapons had to be used against him because goody-goody magic wasn't always powerful enough.

Yes, I did teach them what the Ministry deemed necessary for them to know, but I also added my own brand of methods as well. Harry and Hermione just had to keep quiet about my tweaked curriculum. It was just mild for now, but as they got older, it would change. The spells would get Darker and more advanced. As long as they used what I was teaching them only to defeat the Dark Lord, then I would keep teaching them. Not even I could go too dark because of the reaction I had towards Dark Magic.

All too soon the Hogwarts letters came and it was time to go to the Alley. And the one day I didn't look for the future was the one day that I wished that I had. If I had, I wouldn't have had to meet Lockhart and had to deal with the ensuing drama.

Flourish and Blotts was extremely crowded even for this time of year. Confused, I looked around and it soon became obvious as to why.

Gilderoy Lockhart was promoting his latest work of fiction, _Magical Me_. The picture on the front of the book was absolutely ridiculous! Lockhart would throw out his hands as if to say "Ladies, here I am!" and lightening would flash dramatically in the background. What a dumbass!

I wanted to barf all over his sparkly clothes. Maybe I should have taken a Vomit Inducer. That is, if it would even work on my half-vampire body. Wait, it just might. My body rejected just about every form of Magic and potions had magical properties so I could very easily throw it back up. I shook my head. It was best not to fantasize about such things because I could end up doing something like that. That was why I started pranking Umbitch in the first place.

Harry, Hermione, and I were near a bookshelf trying to find all the books needed for classes and none of us were in a very good mood.

People were pushing and shoving to get closer to the fraud and I didn't do so well in crowds. Their blood pulsed beneath thin barriers that my teeth could sink into and with them all excited the adrenaline sweetening…wait, best not think about that before I go on a vampire rampage. I was trying to remain under the Ministry radar, not announce that a vampire was in the neighborhood.

"This is so stupid!" Hermione muttered. "Why can't they just give us books that will actually help us instead of making us study _his_ work? It's completely useless!"

Surprisingly Gilderoy's own work was the entire DADA curriculum. Oh, wait, it wasn't a surprise. The man seemed to believe anything he wrote was golden and he wasn't the only one who thought so. There were legions of men and even more women believed that Lockhart could do or write no wrong.

_I_, however, wasn't one of them. And none of my closest associates were either. In fact, we had regular "Hate Lockhart" nights. We would have a dart board with Lockhart's picture on it and would throw darts at it. Then we would read one of his books and make fun of any part we found particularly funny.

A man loudly calling, "Harry Potter!" drew me out of my happy thoughts. Gilderoy had noticed my ward and motioned for Harry to come him.

People parted for Lockhart like the Red Sea did for Moses and some eager fans tried to propel Harry forward to the man.

Harry threw a panicked glance at me and I tightened my arm around him and refused to let go. Everyone stared at me, but I would not back down.

Harry depended on me to protect him. Though I wouldn't be able to be there for him all the time, the least I could do was protect him while I was around. I scowled at the pitiful humans and they backed off quickly.

"Come, now, little girl, this is for _The Prophet_," a photographer tried to pull Harry up. But I stomped sharply on his foot and shoved him back into the crowd. _I'm no child, you fool!_ I snarled in his head and the photographer stepped farther away from me.

"It's alright, girl. Let him go," Gilderoy said in what he seemed to think was a soothing voice. "Don't you want your friend to end up on the cover of the _Daily Prophet_? Maybe I'll even let you take a picture with me too so you can show all of your friends at Hogwarts that you met me." Did he honestly think I was a child? He even had to audacity to flash his oh so _charming_ smile at me.

Then, because he thought I was a student at Hogwarts, he started thinking about how he could _get to know me better_. I really wished that I'd taken that Vomit inducer now. But at this rate, I wouldn't even need it, he was so revolting.

"First, I am not a _child_ that you can patronize or bribe with meaningless trophies, you moron. I am an adult I expect to be treated as such." The moment he heard me speak, his thoughts turned even more vulgar. As if I would ever let him get close to me, let alone touch me!

"Second, I am not only his friend, I am his _guardian_. That being the case, if I don't want him in a photo with you, he's not going to be in a photo with you," I snorted, but it was all I could do not to snarl at the man. I was very close to losing it completely, but I had to keep myself in control. "Now, if you will be so kind, I have to finish getting their school supplies and _you_ are in the way."

"Let him take a picture with me." Apparently he sounded threatening to the other people because they gasped when they heard him speak.

"Or you'll do what?" I sneered and I put my hands on my hips. He didn't scare me. He just annoyed me. After a second of thought, I said, "Tell you what; you want a picture with him? You'll have to duel me for it." I looked at him from under my eyebrows, "And I feel it is only fair to warn you, I have never lost a fight and I've been in more than my fair share." I smiled dangerously.

As if he could scare me! I was E.C. for Merlin's sake! I don't scare easily…wait I do scare easily, it's just not me who gets scared. I was one of the most feared witches ever! Except for the fact that no one—but Regulus who was supposed to be dead and the few I let live who were not talking—knew that E.C. was a woman.

Lockhart didn't answer. In fact, he just stared at me like the idiot he was and his thoughts…let's just say I avoided his head. It was beyond revolting!

"Excuse me." I escorted Harry and Hermione away and we proceeded with our book shopping.

There was Dark Magic in the air, but I knew better than to step in because I saw what would happen if I did. The consequences would be far more disastrous than if I let it run its course for now, but stepped in later.

"Miss Masen." I turned to find Lucius standing on the stairs heading up to the second floor. He was older now, with tiny lines marring his near perfect face. Draco was standing next to him.

The children looked at us, silently asking if they could leave, and we nodded. At that, they took off to some other part of the store.

"Do I know you?" I did know him, but no one else knew that I did. I doubted even _he_ knew that we'd met so long ago.

"No. But I have heard a little about you. Lucius Malfoy. Draco's told me about you." He shifted his snake headed walking stick and held out a gloved hand and I shook it. Lucius carried his wand in his cane. Clever, very clever. "That was quite the little show you put on just now." he smirked slightly at Lockhart's reddened face and I laughed.

"Yes. I know. It's going to be all over the _Daily Prophet_." I groaned at the thought. "At least the article won't be _entirely_ about Harry and instead it will focus on a little upstart who thought she could out-duel one of "the greatest wizards of the decade."" I sneered.

Lucius chuckled and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Could you?"

"Could I what?"

"Out-duel him?"

"Sir, I've out-fought wizards far more powerful than he is. No offense, but I could defeat you and you are one of the five most powerful wizards I have ever encountered. Fighting someone like him would be easier for me than, say crossing an empty street would be for you." I put one foot on the next step up and his eyes caught my onyx and diamond goblin made knife. In the sunlight, it glittered like vampire skin as was my intention when I'd had it made.

He recognized it immediately and his eyes widened slightly. He knew who I was. E.C. carried a blade like that. "No offense taken."

"Good day Mr. Malfoy. Perhaps we could continue this conversation another day. When there aren't so many nosy people around desperately trying searching for more juicy gossip about Harry Potter's psychotic guardian." I gestured to the people pretending to look elsewhere, but who were actually listening to us.

"Perhaps."

We went our separate ways to gather books for our respective children.

No sooner I completed my purchases and was getting ready to leave the store, that Gilderoy Lockhart stopped us.

"Miss, I must insist that I take a picture with Mr. Potter. Think of all his fans and mine who will want to see it!" He was now trying to save face with his fans and with…me? If he wanted to do that, he should have left me alone. "I can make it worth your while."

I turned around slowly, balancing on the heels of my boots. "Right now, I don't give a _damn_ about his fans or yours! Also _I_ must insist that you shove your request and your offer some place where the sun doesn't shine, preferably up your arse." I smiled sweetly and continued on my way.

Harry and Hermione as well as a few others were snickering at the fact that I swore in front of a crowd of women and children.

There were also more than a few gasps of shock at my blatant lack of respect towards Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Miss, I don't know if you know this or not, but I never am told 'No.'"

"Well consider this a first. No." I smiled an overly sweet smile in his direction, exposing all of my razor sharp teeth.

"See? I told you she wasn't scared of Lockhart," Hermione whispered to someone.

"Come now, dear. Is it so hard? Just one picture!" I found Molly Weasley pleading with me. The little redheaded girl I'd Seen was standing at her elbow. Ginny Weasley. That poor child was in for hell this year.

I ignored her for a moment and knelt in front of Ginny. Taking her hands in mine, I said, "No matter what happens, even when everything seems Dark, remember, it can't stay night time forever. Whenever you feel like giving up, remember what I said."

She smiled at me. "Thanks." Her cheeks darkened with a combination of embarrassment and pleasure.

I stood up and faced Molly. "Ma'am, how would you feel if people tried to take pictures of your children when you didn't want them to? Those two may not be mine biologically, but they are mine in every other way. I raised them, healed them, and have done everything that any loving parent would do for their child.

"Harry is a _child_ who has endured far too much hardship for someone his age. He doesn't need people to make a big deal out of his pain. The night James and Lily died, he literally lost everything." I was speaking to everyone by this point.

"He needs to feel normal and being normal is being able to go into a bookshop without people trying to force him to take a picture with someone he doesn't know. Being normal is going out into the street without people staring at him and whispering about him behind their hands. Being normal is being able to just be himself without everyone staring at him like he's a freak show. That all I want for him: normalcy.

"He's just a kid. Please, leave him be. At least until he's older. Let him at least have a _semi_-normal childhood." I wrapped my arms around Harry and shielded him from the photographer who was still trying to take a picture of him. I glared at him and exposed my teeth slightly to him.

"I suppose you're right, dear, now that you put it that way. I'm sorry." Molly looked as though she truly understood where I was coming from.

I smiled at her, "Really, it's okay. Very few people see him like that until they get to know him. But once they do, their perception of him changes completely. So please, don't feel bad about it, you're not the only one."

"Wait, what's your name, dear?" Molly asked.

"Elizabeth Masen. Come along. We have more places to be." I motioned for Harry and Hermione to follow me and we exited the store, leaving confusion in our wake. Right before I left, I glanced at Lockhart and almost started laughing. The expression on his face was like he'd suddenly lost all his senses. His thoughts, however, kept me from laughing. He believed I was in love with him.

People were talking about what I'd said in low tones. Most of them agreed with me, but some still believed I should have let Harry take a picture with Lockhart.

"What I wouldn't give to have my child take a picture with Gilderoy! That woman doesn't know what she's passing up!" Oh, yes I do! I'm passing up being pawed by a pervert.

"I think she's right. That boy does need some sense of being normal."

"I don't know. I mean Harry did do something amazing, but he probably doesn't even remember it."

I smiled. Yet again, I have had the opportunity to cause confusion and divide people over something foolish. I could have sworn I was somehow related to Eris, the goddess of discord, as much confusion as I caused and how much I liked it.

Then my smile changed to a frown as I'd remembered Lockhart's thoughts about me. He had become obsessed with me. It's a good thing no one could get into Wainwright. I shuddered slightly and felt slightly sick.

Though Lockhart now believed himself to be in love with me, in a way, I did prank him. He would be rather embarrassed for a while. Yes, people would probably talk badly about me for a while, but I didn't give a damn what people thought about me anyway.

y.


	34. She's As Perfect As Me

AN: I just _had_ to do that chapter from Lockhart's point of view. Personally, he's just as bad as Umbridge, or Umbitch, whichever.

**Lockhart**

Today was the signing of my lasted work_ Magical Me_ at Flourish and Blotts. I had a thirty stop tour worldwide, but Flourish and Blotts was my favorite. Why? Because there was a chance I would run into Harry Potter. My sources said that was where he shopped for his school supplies last year so I purposely scheduled my stop there to be around the time when everyone would have received their Hogwarts' letters.

That boy was slipperier than an eel. He would show up for school, but disappear to no one knew where. There were no clues except that he always was with a girl named Hermione Granger and that it was rumored that they considered each other brother and sister. Neither ever talked much about where they lived or who they were living with. All anyone seemed to know was their guardian very dangerous and very powerful.

I wanted to give the boy a few pointers on how to handle fame. He shouldn't hide from his fans. Nor should he draw so much attention to himself during school with his antics.

After I'd kicked my latest conquest out of my bed and sent her on her way with a few things to keep her quiet, I prepared for perhaps my most important stop on my tour. Not only was Flourish and Blotts renowned in the Wizarding world, but a photographer from _The Daily Prophet_ would be there, so I definitely had to look my best.

Whistling, I combed my hair to perfection and set my pointed hat on my head at a jaunty angle. The ladies loved it when I wore my hat like that.

I smiled in the mirror and was extremely pleased with how I looked. "No one can resist you, Gilderoy, old boy, absolutely no one." I was the handsomest man alive according to every poll. What woman wouldn't want that?

Something good was going to happen today, I could just feel it. With a sweep of my elegant robes I was off to the book store.

As soon as I entered the premises through the back door, people started cheering. "Quiet down, quiet down, there's enough to go around," I grinned cheekily at the women and cameras started going off.

Lying that I had done all of these amazing things had been worth it. I had fans, money, and girls just lining up to sleep with me. I also had access to a lot of the most powerful Wizarding families, except Lucius Malfoy. It was a good life indeed.

I grinned at the cover of my book as I opened it up to sign it. It was perfect, dramatic, and it showed me at by best angle.

After I had signed maybe thirty books, I caught sight of a boy with messy black hair. The boy pushed his glasses farther up his nose and shook his head to something that a brown haired girl said to him. As his hair moved, I caught sight of the lightning bolt scar.

"Harry Potter!" I called loudly and motioned for him to come to me. Bless them; my fans not only cleared a path but tried to bring him to me.

But there was a black haired girl with one side of her head and the back of her hair shaved nearly to the scalp. The other side was mixed with a vibrant blue and hung to her shoulder. Her face was…perfect. Those eyes, those startling green eyes shadowed in black could send a weaker man's pulse through the roof. Her lips, full, blood-red Cupid's bow lips, if she smiled people would pay just to get a chance to look at her. Her heart shaped face gave her an appearance of pure innocence, but her eyes told me she was far from innocent—I wondered how far.

This perfect creature wasn't letting Harry come to me. She kept her arm around him and glowered at anyone who tried to take him away from her. People were backing away from her quicker than a child would run from a boggart.

"Come, now, little girl, this is for _The Prophet_," a photographer tried to pull Harry up. But she stomped sharply on his foot and shoved him back into the crowd.

I had to rectify the situation immediately. "It's alright, girl, let him go," I said in a soothing voice. "Don't you want your friend to end up on the cover of the _Daily Prophet_? Maybe I'll even let you take a picture with me too and autograph it so you can show all of your friends at Hogwarts that you met me." I smiled the smile that had fans everywhere screaming for more. No one could resist it, not even this girl. In fact, if we kept things a secret we could have a wonderful student-teacher _relationship_. She was very pretty…

But it didn't have the desired effect. In fact, it made things worse!

Her lips twisted into a sneer. "First, I am not a _child_ that you can patronize or bribe with meaningless trophies, you moron." Oh dear, she was small woman who liked crazy hair, not a teenager as I had first thought. Her voice said as much. It was so beautiful. I wondered if I could seduce her so I could hear it again. This time, moaning in my ear as I made love to her. "I am an adult I expect to be treated as such." Oh, I _will_ treat you like an adult.

"Second, I am not only his friend, I am his _guardian_." That wasn't good. I had heard stories about Harry Potter's guardian. She was supposed to be powerful and dangerous. How _dangerous_ would she be willing to be? "That being the case, if I don't want him in a photo with you, he's not going to be in a photo with you." She dared to snort at me! "Now, if you will be so kind, I have to finish getting their school supplies and _you_ are in the way."

"Let him take a picture with me." If I sounded threatening she would comply. People gasped when they heard me use _that_ tone.

"Or you'll do what? Tell you what; you want a picture with him?" Yes, yes, YES! "You'll have to duel me for it." She looked at me from under her perfectly arched eyebrows. How could I have ever thought she was a child? She possessed the body of a woman: of a perfect, gorgeous woman. "And I feel it is only fair to warn you, I have never lost a fight and I've been in more than my fair share." She flashed a stunning smile at me.

When I made no move to fight her, she said, "Excuse me."

Reluctantly, I turned back to what I was brought here to do: sign books for my eager, loyal fans. I wanted to just keep looking at her, but that would not go over very well with my publishers or my fans.

After signing several more autographs, I scanned the crowd again. I found her talking to Lucius Malfoy. So, she was friendly with Slytherins. I supposed she should be with Harry being in Slytherin and all. Except this was one of the most powerful men in England.

They both looked at me and seemed to find something humorous. Her lips were curled up in a smile.

So beautiful. I knew she felt the same way towards me that I did towards her.

Well, I had other things that had to be done. I would just catch her as she was getting ready to leave.

When she moved to go up the stairs, I saw a blade in her boot. Goblin made and covered in diamonds and other precious stones! A blade like that cost a fortune, almost half as much as I made in a year!

Every girl after that I found myself comparing to the perfection of the girl whose name I didn't know. This one's nose wasn't shaped like hers. That one's mouth wasn't pouty like hers. The next was too tall. The list went on and on.

I was a man I love. As I scribbled my name across the next book, I started imaging what life would be like with her. What our children would look like. They would be beautiful with a perfect mother and a very handsome father.

True, she would probably have to change her hair once we were married. After all, the wife of someone like me couldn't look like that. I had all the faith in the world that she would do it if I asked her to.

I let my mind wonder farther down that road. Her tiny body writhing in my bed, her black hair splayed against my pillow, and her lips moving against mine.

I smiled. The rebel would fall for me. Why shouldn't she? I was as handsome as she was beautiful; we were perfect together.

In fact, the only reason I could think of that she was acting like that was because she didn't want people to think she was throwing herself at me. Why else would she have come in today? No one could resist me, not even girls who dressed like muggle rock stars.

She wanted me. I could hear it in her voice. The sultry voice that wrapped around every word she spoke to me as though she were caressing it.

I glanced up, searching for her again. She was leaving. This was my last chance. I crossed the room as fast as I could.

"Miss, I must insist that I take a picture with Mr. Potter. Think of all his fans and mine who will want to see it!" I was desperate. She had to see that the things I did were for his fans and mine. "I can make it worth your while."

She turned around slowly. "Right now, I don't give a _damn_ about his fans or yours! Also _I_ must insist that you shove your request and your offer some place where the sun doesn't shine, preferably up your arse."

She wasn't supposed to talk to me like that! Then again, two could play this game. "Miss, I don't know if you know this or not, but I never am told "No."" Let her see that I was a powerful, dominant man. Just the kind of man someone like her needed.

"Well consider this a first. No." She smiled widely at me and turned to leave.

I _knew_ she liked me! She was just shy because of all the people around. Well, I could carry on a secret relationship.

"Come now, dear. Is it so hard? Just one picture!" a redheaded woman was championing my cause.

The girl ignored us and knelt in front of the woman's daughter and took the child's hands in hers. "No matter what happens, even when everything seems Dark, remember, it can't stay night time forever. Whenever you feel like giving up, think about what I said."

The child whispered, "Thanks."

She then faced the woman, "Ma'am, how would you feel if people tried to take pictures of your children when you didn't want them to? Those two may not be mine biologically, but they are mine in every other way. I raised them, healed them, and have done everything that any loving parent would do for their child.

"Harry is a _child_ who has endured far too much hardship for someone his age. He doesn't need people to make a big deal out of his pain. The night James and Lily died, he lost literally everything." She was looking at everyone now, not just the redheaded woman.

"He needs to feel normal and being normal is being able to go into a bookshop without people trying to force him to take a picture with someone he doesn't know." Ouch. "Being normal is going out into the street without people staring at him and whispering about him behind their hands. Being normal is being able to just be himself without everyone staring at him like he's a freak show. That all I want for him: normalcy.

"He's just a kid. Please, leave him be. At least until he's older. Let him at least have a _semi_-normal childhood."

"I suppose you're right, dear, now that you put it that way. I'm sorry." What? No! You're supposed to be defending me!

The girl smiled, "Really, it's okay. Very few people see him like that until they get to know him. But once they do, their perception of him changes completely. So please, don't feel bad about it, you're not the only one."

If she was so passionate about something she believed in and stood up for, how would she be like in bed?

"Wait, what's your name, dear?" the redheaded woman asked.

Yes, what is your name?

"Elizabeth Masen. Come along. We have more places to be." Harry Potter and the little girl accompanying them followed Elizabeth Mason out of the store.

Elizabeth Masen. So my love's name was Elizabeth Masen. It suited her somehow. Old fashioned name for a modern rebel.

Our eyes met right as she was turning to leave. No smile played across her lips, but I could see her desire for me. Don't worry my love. We will soon be together.

I went back to signing books thinking of the angel named Elizabeth Masen. Her beauty was the thing poets wrote about. Her spirit was the kind my favorite heroines had: strong, untamable. And like those heroines, she acted like she hated the hero of her story because she too believed I was someone I wasn't.

Sooner or later she would be willing for the world to know about us. But first, I had to let her know that I felt the same and that I wasn't the man she believed me to be. And I had the perfect way to do it, but I was going to wait for a little while. Make her think I had no interest in her and then I would tell her.

AN: This will NOT be an Elizabeth/Lockhart story. EWWWWW! I already had in mind the guy she will end up with before this chapter and it's NOT him. Don't ask, I'm not telling.

Conceited little bastard isn't he, though?


	35. An Unwanted Declaration

**Elizabeth**

Harry and Hermione had left one the train for Hogwarts the day before, so once again, it was just Regulus and me. The silence reminded me of the time before they came to live with us. Now that they were gone, I found that I missed the noise. It just seemed wrong not having them around trying to get by with every little bit of mischief they could.

A house elf's pop drew me out of my thoughts as Dinky arrived with the mail as well as _The__Daily Prophet_.

There were letters from the children addressed to both Regulus and me—probably telling how they had settled in and about the new students in their Houses—but it was the _Prophet_ that caught my attention. On the front page of the _Prophet_ was a picture of Gilderoy Lockhart grinning like the idiot he was. Above his picture was the headline:

**Gilderoy Lockhart in Love**

_By Rita Skeeter_

_Well, witches, it has happened. What we all knew could happen, but never believed actually would. Gilderoy Lockhart, the most eligible bachelor today, is no longer on the market. At least he won't be if his plan works. _

_You see, he fell in love with the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. But this woman doesn't believe he returns her affections. So last night he came to me asking me to publish a letter he wrote for her so she will see that he means it. And, wanting to help him on his quest, I obliged._

_We will wait with baited breath to see if she responds. I can wager that most of you young ladies will be hoping she does not respond favorably. Because if she doesn't return his affections, it means there is still hope for the rest of you young ladies._

_What I am dying to know is: what is the name of his mystery woman?_

_That was something he did not share because he was afraid that people would try to pretend to be her. All he told us was that she was the most perfect woman he ever met. _

_The handwritten letter can be found on page 5._

"Reg, look at this!" I showed the article to Regulus.

"I thought he was too much in love with himself to even notice anyone else," Regulus said as he walked up and read over my shoulder. "Let's see this _letter_ then."

I flipped the paper open to the page and Regulus read it aloud.

"_My Darling Love,_

_You are constantly on my mind. There is no escape from the hold you have on me. Not that I want to escape, but I want you to know that what I feel for you is real._

_I wake up with your face in my mind. Throughout the day I think I see you sometimes in the crowds. And I go to sleep with your name on my lips._"

Regulus snickered, "Oh my love." He made kissy faces as he batted his eyelashes and continued reading.

"_I constantly hear your voice in my head and think of how it will sound when you laugh. I have seen you smile, oh my darling it was beautiful to behold, but I have never had the honor of hearing you laugh. I imagine it will sound just like your speaking voice: beautiful, like the sweetest music ever heard._

_Please, my love. Let us be together. We love each other deeply, so all I ask is that we no longer hide in the shadows. _

_I have only seen you once in Flourish and Blotts, but I know how you feel. I could see it in your eyes when our gazes met. I saw the love and desire in your eyes. I felt it too. In that one meeting, I fell in love with you._

_You pretended to hate me so others don't know how you feel because you are afraid of what they will say about you. You are afraid that they will not find you good enough to be with me. But my love, you are wrong._

_You also fear that I would not find you good enough. You fear that you are not as beautiful as other women I have seen._

_But your fears are completely unfounded. You are the most perfect woman I have ever seen. In all the countries I have been too of all the women I have seen, you are by far the most beautiful. No one can compare to your innocent perfection._

_I await your owl. Please, my love. Let us declare our love to the world. I want everyone to know about us._

_Completely yours,_

_Gilderoy Lockhart_

_P.S. No imposters because I will know if you are not my love. If an imposter contacts me, terrible things will happen._"

Regulus was outright laughing by the time he finished reading, "Damn! It sounds like this girl's a real knockout for Lockhart to be pretty much on bended knee for her," Regulus snorted. "Wonder who she is and if she'll respond to his 'declaration of love.' You want to stake out the school to see if she does? I wonder what kind of 'terrible things' he will do to any imposters. I bet he'll just burn their signed books or egg their houses or…" Regulus continued rambling about Lockhart's stupidity.

I, however, wasn't laughing and had stopped listening. That letter was for me! I had only met him once in Flourish and Blotts and I was the only woman who had ever dared to hate him in public. Then there was the fact that his thoughts about me leaned in that direction.

Fury at the fool was taking over me and I wanted nothing more than to mash him to a pulp, and then burn him. After that I would scatter his ashes all over a field and dance on them until my feet bled. And then, I would torch the field and turn it into a pig yard. After that I would scrub down because of the thoughts he'd had about me.

"Elizabeth? What is it?" Regulus finally noticed my silence. He bent over and pressed his hands to both sides of my face, turning me to look at him. "What's wrong? Tell me!" Apparently, he thought I went into shock.

I pushed him away and jumped to my feet. Then, I proceeded to swear in every language I knew. After I don't know how long of nothing but calling him every terrible name I could think of, I finally ran out of words to say. After I shouted, "FUCK!" as loudly as I could, I stopped.

"Care to share what brought on this…vocabulary expanding episode?" Regulus asked with a wave of his hand. He was leaning against the wall with his arms across his chest.

"That! Letter! Is! To! ME!" I shouted and then screamed, "Fuck!" and yanked on my hair. Shockingly, none of it came out.

"What?" Regulus stared at me looking like he wasn't sure whether to laugh at me or at Lockhart. "Are you sure? What makes you say that?"

"We met in Flourish and Blotts and I made it no secret how I felt about him. In fact, I did my best to make him feel like a fool." I wished I had just walked away without saying anything. If I had, then none of this would have happened.

"So, he refuses to believe that someone could actually hate him and has convinced himself that you're in love with him?" Regulus tried to clarify what I was saying.

"That's the only thing I can think of. I did nothing that I was aware of to set him off!" I ran over every detail in my head. All I could come up with was that one minute Lockhart thought I was a child and the next, he was lusting after me. It was like the moment he heard my voice, he suddenly went from patronizing fool to licentious lecher.

"With stalkers, the victim does nothing he or she is aware of, but the perpetrator feels that they were. Besides, you were made to entice people. Your voice, your face, everything he believes is you wanting him, is the vampire drawing him in for the kill. Were you angry at him?" He seemed to be formulating an idea as to what had set Lockhart off.

"Very." I began to see where he was going.

"See? The vampire was close to the surface then. He was attracted to the Venus flytrap, not to you. I mean yes, if he knew you, he might like you. But he is now obsessed with the part of you that is designed to kill him." Regulus understood my situation even better than I did. That was probably because he had lived with me for so long and knew what it was like to be drawn to the monster, especially when I was angry.

"So what, he's going to stalk me now?" I pulled a face as I spoke. The idea repulsed me to no end. Besides, Lockhart had it all backwards. It wasn't supposed to be a vampire getting stalked—or unnerved—by a human; it was a human supposed to be getting stalked—and then eaten—by a vampire. Eating Lockhart. Hm. Not a bad idea. In fact, it was looking more and more appealing. I wondered what he would taste like…

"Basically, yes." Regulus seemed about as thrilled as I was by the idea of Lockhart stalking me.

"Harry and Hermione. We'd better do something about them. If we don't then they're going to be miserable and…"

Regulus put a hand over my mouth to stop my spiel and said, "I'll alert Severus to a possible problem. Don't worry about it and don't change your habits. If you do, _then_ he may do something. So, go out in town, go to the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch game, and be your normal, bitchy self. Don't let Lockhart ruin it for you."

"Alright. Just ugh. Why couldn't he have picked a different target? I don't like him. I can't stand him. I want to throw him as far as I can. I want to throw _up_ on him. I hate him. I absolutely loath him…"

"Yes, yes, I get the idea. Now, you don't worry about the children. They'll be just fine. In fact, if it makes you feel any better, I'll floo Dumbledore right now." Regulus was so much like a father to me. While he aged and matured, his role in my life changed because I did not.

"Contact both Severus and Dumbledore immediately. Tell them that I may just be paranoid, but it's better to be safe than sorry." I hated having humans do things for me, but if I made any unusual appearances around the school it may make things worse for me.

"Will do. By the way, he got the innocent part wrong. I mean yeah, you're still a virgin and all, but you're definitely not innocent to violence and death."

"Typical teenage vampire. We kill without mercy, but when it comes to sex and love, we tend to take a while. Look at my father. It took him almost one hundred years to fall in love. And the Volturi Witch Twins are well over a thousand and they are not mated though they might not be virgins," I mused aloud. Maybe Esme did have a point when she feared that Edward was changed too young. Those in their teens did not seem to be in too much of a hurry to experience the joys of romance. I know I wasn't because right then the only option seemed to be Gildedroy Fraudheart.

"Well, I'll leave you to your 'cheerful' thoughts and try to prevent any problems with Harry and Hermione."

"Thanks." I really didn't want to send any letters or talk to anyone. Because if I did contact someone, I would probably end up saying or doing something I would later regret, like killing a human.

"Hey, I do owe you, if you recall?" He smiled as he spoke. He was never going to call us even for me saving his life even with all he had done for me. With a few waves of his wand, he was Reginald Masen.

"Vividly." His "suicide" attempt, yes, I remembered it very well.

"Professors, we have a slight situation that I think you should be made aware of," Reginald knelt in front of the fireplace.

"I think I am aware of it," Severus replied. "Last night at the Welcome Feast I read Lockhart's mind. He is completely obsessed with her. And then the article in the _Prophet_ this morning. Harry, Hermione, and their friends are plotting something I believe."

"Please make sure that he cannot use Harry and Hermione against her."

"Don't worry. I think they can handle Lockhart, but if there are any problems, I'm sure their friends will tell us and we will deal with it accordingly," Severus said.

"And we will also be keeping a lookout for any problems," Dumbledore added.

"Thank you, sirs," Reginald ended the call and became Regulus again. "I think they will be okay."

"If they aren't, it's not going to Lockhart's _head_ I'll be cutting off," I growled. "It _will_ be what he's thinking with however."

Regulus laughed heartily at me and I scowled at him and gave him the one finger salute. "Why don't you prank him? That always makes you feel better."

"You know those Parchments I'm planning on giving to the children?"

"Yeah, what about-Oh!" he smiled as he caught on.

"Exactly. I won't come around the school very much so Lockhart doesn't think I'm actually responding to him, but that doesn't mean that I can't coordinate a few pranks."

"So much for not pranking the bastard."

"Hey, he asked for it." After a long moment, I stood up and walked to the library. With a flick of my wrist all of Lockhart's books were in the fireplace and I watched them burn with deep satisfaction.

"I wondered when you were going to do that."

I spun to find Regulus grinning at me. "I'm not going to have anything of that man's shit in my house if I can at all help it."


	36. The Perfect Girl for the Charming Man

**Lockhart**

Elizabeth Lockhart. The name had a ring to it. A very nice ring, if I say so myself. Rings…gold, silver, huge diamonds, they all danced in front of my eyes in a seemingly endless parade of riches.

My plan to woo and win the rich, proud rebel would begin the day that the student returned to school after summer vacation.

It could not fail. She loved me. She just had to see that I felt the same way about her. Then we would be together and get our happily ever after. This plan was destined to work. My perfect woman would see it and realize my love for her was as deep as hers was for me.

I had done a little studying into Harry's life at school and found that he had a sister, an adopted sister, but a sister nonetheless. The girl he was always with, Hermione Granger, was his sister and at the top of her year. People said that she was destined to be the brightest witch of her generation. So that would look good for me.

Maybe I could even write a biography of Harry Potter or a book about living with the brightest witch of her generation. The possibilities were endless.

All I had to do was wait a few more days to implement my plan and those possibilities were all mine…

Students would be arriving by train in less than eight hours for the new school term. Now it was time to go through with my plan. Elizabeth Masen was in love with me, she just needed a little persuasion to admit it to the world.

So, carefully I penned my letter. If there was the smallest mistake, I would throw away the parchment and start over. This had to be perfect. It _would_ be perfect. In my most flowing, flawless penmanship that all of the women admired I wrote a letter declaring my love for her and telling her that she shouldn't be afraid to admit her feelings for me.

I had to be careful though. This paper was read by children and prudish women. I could not tarnish my image by writing my fantasies of her in a letter that was going to be read by countless people.

After rereading it one more time just to make sure it was right, with three hours until the Welcome Feast, I flooed to _The Daily Prophet_. If I got it there early enough, it would make it for the morning paper.

I strode purposefully down the hall towards the office I wanted: Rita Skeeter. Taking a deep breath because this meant the end of my carefree bachelor days, I opened the door. This woman was the one who wrote the articles that were most read, so it was probably the best course of action to take.

"Mr. Lockhart." Rita looked startled to see me in her office. "What can I do for you this evening?"

"I need someone to write an article and I knew you were the best one for the job if I wanted it done right." The best way to get Rita Skeeter to do something for me and to do it well was to flatter her.

"What is it?" She put her glasses on and held out her hand for the thin package I held in mine.

"Print this in tomorrow's paper. Front page." I handed her the letter.

Rita read the letter then asked, "How about I do this? I write a small article for the front page along with a big picture of you and I put the letter inside."

"That will work out just fine."

"Would you like for us to just copy it as is? Or would you like it to be printed?" Rita's Quick Quotes Quill was already hard at work as she worked on what she would say in the article. It flew across the page, sometimes scratching out words and adding others.

"I want it as is." I wanted Elizabeth to see that I took the time to write the letter in my own hand.

"Who's the lady?" Rita asked. The quill paused above the page and she looked at me curiously.

"I won't tell until later. I don't want to deal with people claiming to be her. All I will tell you is, she's the most beautiful, perfect woman I have ever met." I sighed at the thought of Elizabeth. She was much more than that, but I wasn't about to give any more clues to her identity.

"Well, here's a receipt. Take it to the receptionist. You give the money to her, but I'm sure as many times as you've been here, you would know that already." Rita scribbled a few numbers on a piece of paper and handed it to me.

"Thank you." I picked it up and headed out of her office. I was whistling by the time I reached the receptionist.

Elizabeth would read about how much I loved her and she would realize that she wasn't in love unrequitedly. Another cheerful thought flitted across my brain. By this time next year we would be married and Harry would be my stepson.

My life was turning out even better than I thought it would. I had a career that men all over envied. A multitude of fans followed my every move and I had money. Women lined up in hopes that I would, in the very least, kiss them. Not to mention in my near future I would have a beautiful wife, a famous stepson, and a brilliant stepdaughter and possibly a fortune—I saw the cut and stitching of the clothes all three of them were wearing. Those clothes were not cheap man's handiwork. And then there was the goblin made knife in her boot. That thing alone cost a fortune. And the ring on her finger, I didn't recognize the dark stone, but it looked very old, probably a family heirloom.

After I paid for my article, I walked over to the floo and headed back to Hogwarts.

Elizabeth would not write. I knew she wouldn't. No, something far better would happen. She would not be able to wait for an owl to deliver her letter to me so she would come herself.

When I took my seat at the Heads' table, my gaze met Severus Snape's and he scowled at me. Oh, that's right; Dumbledore thought I would make a better DADA teacher than he would. I smiled at him and watched at the students started filing in.

Harry Potter took his seat at the Slytherin table and I studied his robes again. Those clothes were indeed not cheap. They were the kind worn only by the Malfoys' and people like them.

So, Elizabeth _was_ rich. That meant no long book tours, appearances only when I wanted them, living in the lap of absolute luxury. My mind drifted over the possibilities. That Russian falcon I wanted, I would finally be able to get. Goblin metal works, wait; she probably already had a whole vault full of that if her knife as any indication. That thing was encrusted with diamonds! The entire handle was covered with crushed diamonds that glittered in the sun, drawing everyone's eye to it if they were looking at her.

I smiled slightly. This was even better than I had ever, in my wildest dreams, imagined my life would be. Not only would I be getting a beautiful woman, but also a rich one.

Sighing softly, I watched at the last child was Sorted.

Dumbledore stood up and gave his customary start of term speech and then said, "Let the feast begin."

Food appeared on the tables and I dug in. As I ate, thought about the meals served at Elizabeth's table. She probably had an army of house elves to cook for her. I would wager that the meals served at her house were as good as or better than the ones served here.

The next morning I dressed carefully. I wore my best robes and combed my hair to perfection. My hat was put on at its best angle. Every wrinkle was smoothed out of my robe and every flyaway hair was slicked into the rest of my hair. I looked into the mirror and there was the man who had captured the hearts of countless women around the world. My smile was the smile of confidence and had won awards and earned screams from cheering fans. Merlin, I looked dashing!

After the _Prophet_ was due to be delivered, I waited for Elizabeth to show up. Hour after hour passed and there wasn't as much as a word from her. Maybe she was waiting until my classes were over to come because there wouldn't be time for teaching after she arrived.

My mind drifted over our future children. Beautiful blond haired blue eyed girls and devilishly handsome black haired green eyed boys. If their coloring happened to be mixed around it didn't matter, they would still be the talk of the Wizarding World. Why wouldn't they be with two such fine-looking parents?

Cedric Diggory was a close friend of Harry and Hermione. He was a very polite boy, but said very little. He took notes throughout my speech, but made no comment about what I was saying. I tried drawing him into a conversation once about his friends' guardian, but he just kept his answers very bare of any information in regards to Elizabeth Masen. Perhaps he had not met her.

The Weasley twins were pranksters, just like I had been warned. One of them asked me who my girlfriend was and when I didn't answer, the other one asked me if I broke up with her to be with the man in the mirror.

Harry and Hermione were together in my second year DADA class that day. Unlike the rest of the students in that class, those two and Harry's friends, Draco and Blaise did not seem as impressed with me as they should be. In fact, all four of them kept exchanging glances and sneering at different points in my speech.

About halfway through the speech, I glanced at Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Blaise. They kept looking at each other and snickering. What were they doing? Oh well, it was probably something that had happened before my class had started.

I handed out my quiz to see who would know me the best. Dutifully, the students wrote answers down and handed the parchments back in. There were giggles from some of the students as they answered my questions.

The only one I didn't really like in Harry's group of friends was Neville Longbottom. Harry needed to be more selective in his choice in friends. That boy would do nothing but bring him down. Once Harry was my son, he would no longer be allowed to be that boy's friend. It amazed me that Elizabeth allowed such a boy as Harry was to associate with the likes of Neville. He was not good for a famous person to have as a friend.

It drifted on towards evening and still no letter or visit from Elizabeth.

_Have you possibly misread her? _

No, I couldn't have. I knew when a woman wanted me and Elizabeth definitely wanted me. Her voice, her eyes, and her body language all told me of her desire and love for me.

_Then why wasn't she responding to you?_

Perhaps she was in shock and trying to decipher if I meant what I said.

_What if she didn't think it was her that you were talking about?_

My attentions were too marked to be mistaken. Almost as soon as she entered the store I singled her out as the companion of my future life. Now, nothing remained but for me to assure her in the most animated language of the violence of my affections.

_What if she didn't return your affections?_

More likely she was trying to increase my love by suspense as is the usual practice of elegant females. Ladies don't seek to seem too forward. Besides, despite manifold attractions it was by no means certain that another offer of marriage would ever be made to her. Not one word on the subject of her economy and other amiable qualities would ever cross my lips once we were married.

_That was an offer of marriage?_

Yes, it was. Soon, it would be anyway.

Only the perfect woman would ever grace the arm of Gilderoy Lockhart and Elizabeth Mason was the _perfect_ woman. She was beautiful, rich, powerful, and she had a famous son. What more could I ask for in a wife than that?

Sighing happily now that I had re-convinced myself of her affections and ignoring that annoying voice in my head, I pulled out a bottle of my best elf made wine. With a smile on my face, I poured myself a generous serving. Once Elizabeth and I were together I could always buy more seeing as how her coffers were probably filled to overflowing.

AN: I don't own Pride and Prejudice in any way, which is what lines I used for when Lockhart is convincing himself of Elizabeth's 'love.' I had the 2005 Mr. Collins in mind when I copied those lines.


	37. Giving Into Temptation

**Elizabeth**

I picked up the Parchments I had spent most of the previous day placing the final spells on and headed to Hogwarts. True, I was planning on waiting until after the Dark Lord came back, but Lockhart was reason enough to give them out to The Troop.

"Hello, Headmaster," I greeted as I strode out of his fireplace.

"Miss Masen, how are you this fine day?" Dumbledore seemed a little startled to see me, but he still smiled at me.

"Quite well, thank you. I have some things to give to Harry and Hermione and their friends. I know I could have sent them by, but I would like to explain what they are in person."

"May I ask what they are?"

"Parchments they can use to communicate with each other. Don't worry, they're spelled against cheating. I just thought that they might like something they can use to talk on once they have to be up in their dorms or something since they're in different Houses."

"Very well. I see no problem with you giving these to them."

"Thank you, sir." I bowed slightly and walked out of his office.

I waited for a little while until I was sure that The Troop was all present before going into the Great Hall.

The Troop looked up at me when I walked in.

After looking at Harry for a few seconds, Hermione stood up and met me halfway. "What's up?"

"Get your friends. I have something for all of you." I was careful not to look at the Heads table so I wouldn't encourage Lockhart, though I knew my presence alone would be enough to give him some 'hope.'

"What is it?" Hermione asked with an excited smile.

"I'm not telling until we're in the kitchen." I kept my face expressionless even though I was dying to tease Hermione about knowing something she didn't know.

Hermione made a face at me then went to the other tables to get her friends.

Once we were seated at a table in the kitchen with plates of food in front of them, Cedric asked, "So what's this all about?"

"I have something for each of you." I handed out the Parchments.

"What are these?" Draco asked.

"Hang on just a second." I pulled my Master Parchment out and wrote_ Lockhart stinks like something I doubt your mothers would want you to say _and what I'd written appeared on each of their Parchments.

There were various exclamations of astonishment at that.

"Now, these can't be used for cheating on anything. They are only to talk to each other with. They do erase on their own every night, but if you want to save something, circle it. Once you're finished with that saved note, x it out or scribble on it and the Parchment will immediately erase it. Also, they work without ink in case you get into a situation where you need help and have no writing equipment."

"So I can pick up a random twig and write on it?" Blaise asked.

"Yes. Also, only the person who owns a particular Parchment will be able to read what's been written on it. No one can make you reveal anything about what's been written no matter what they say, do, or use. I may add some more features should the need arise. If I do, I'll let you know."

"Wicked!" the twins said together.

"A word of warning, don't trust just anything that replies to you when written on. Usually those things are evil. These aren't because you're talking to each other, but be careful about anything else."

As I walked up to Dumbledore's office after classes started, Lockhart stepped out of the shadows.

"Elizabeth." He believed he was saying it in a seductive voice, but really it sounded like he had nasal congestion.

"Aren't you supposed to be _teaching_ a class?" I asked.

"I gave them something to work on because I had to speak with you."

"Yeah, well I don't have anything to say to you other than leave me alone."

"I wrote that letter to you!"

"What letter?" I asked, deciding to play dumb about it.

"Didn't you read that article by Rita Skeeter in yesterday's _Prophet_?" He was completely shocked by that fact.

"Oh, is that what that was about? Well, I don't read _Rita__Skeeter_ so you're going to have to fill me in on the details that the rest of the world probably already knows about."

"I wrote you a letter telling you about how much I love you."

"Excuse me?" I raised both eyebrows at him.

"I'm here to tell you that I love you and I want to marry you."

"I don't want to marry you. I don't want you coming within ten feet of me. Better yet, I don't even like living on the same continent as you because I despise you."

"Don't lie to yourself because I know you feel differently. I remember the way you acted at Flourish and Blotts."

"That was me hating you and trying to get you to leave me the hell alone."

"I know you really do love me and that you're afraid I don't return your affections. Now that you know I feel the same way, we can be together and get married."

"You're seriously deluded because I can't stand you. I hate you and I want nothing to do with you, you stupid, pretentious little bastard."

"Don't you feel this certain something between us?"

"You know, I really wish there was something between us," I sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Really?"

"Yes, I do, an entire dimension."

"There's no need to pretend about what you feel."

"Who's there to pretend for? Me? _You_? I seriously can't stand your guts and hope you die in some painful way."

"What about your children? They need a father don't they?"

"That is none of your concern. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get going."

"It is my concern when children aren't being brought up properly!"

"I have a man waiting for me at home and he's expecting me back now." Yes, I made it sound like Regulus and I were dating or married, but I had to.

"You have a boyfriend?"

"I suppose you could call it that if you want to. He's good to me and takes care of me so I have no need for you or your stupidity. Harry and Hermione have a father figure in their lives and I have a man I know I can lean on."

"Why did you lead me on if this was the case?" _I'll show her who the better man is. She'll leave him and come running to me in no time at all._

"Lead you on? I did no such thing! From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of other convinced me that you are the last man in the world that I could ever be prevailed upon to have any relationship with, romantic or otherwise! I don't know where you got the idea that I loved you, but it's not true. I always hated you and now I utterly despise you." I stormed away from him, infuriated. He was going to pay for this and pay through the nose!

I sat in my chair near the fire in Wainwright's library with my fingers tented in front of me.

"I know that look," Regulus broke into my thoughts.

"What look?"

"The one you had a moment ago. It means that someone's in some serious shit. Who is it?"

"Lockhart."

"It's about time you did something to him. What did he do to make you give in to the temptation of tormenting him?"

"You know that I went to Hogwarts today, right?"

"Yeah. You went to give The Troop those Parchments you made."

"I saw Lockhart. He asked me about the letter and I pretended that I knew nothing about it. He kept trying to convince me that I was in love with him. He even tried to guilt me into being with him by bringing Harry and Hermione up. I kind of made it sound like you and I are romantically involved so he would shut up about that."

Regulus laughed, "I bet he wasn't happy about that!"

"He's planning on showing me who the better man is and is convinced that I'll come running to him."

"So what were you thinking about earlier?"

"How many ways can I torture the bastard without him knowing it's me?"

"Sounds like fun."

"Believe me, it will be." I smiled wickedly and went back to my plotting.

After I was sure Lockhart had gone down to dinner, I slipped into his quarters to see what mischief I could perform. As I looked around, I noticed how much it looked like like a cheap Mardi Gras parade had vomited all over his rooms. It seemed as though he bought anything sparkly or gaudy and used it in decorating, thinking it made him look rich.

On a table beside a huge chair was a bottle of wine. I tapped it and Charmed it so that it would give him nightmares about me beating him up and just being a total bitch towards him whenever he drank it. The more he drank, the worse the nightmare.

I opened another door and found his bedroom. Already it smelled like sex and who knows what and this was only the second day of school. I refused to go inside, but that didn't mean that I couldn't perform any mischief. His wardrobe was open so I flicked my fingers and made the robes he would wear the next day give off the impression that he was having a gas attack. The socks he was going to wear, I Charmed them so that they would make his shoes squeak. As for his foul smelling bed, I made it to where he would sleep late and almost be late for class and give him bad backache.

Then it was on to his bathroom. He had face creams, body potions, and more hair products than I had ever known any one person own. It was a prankster's paradise.

His face creams became acne inducers and would cause his beard to grow twice as fast. His body potions caused him to itch and sometimes sting just a little. As for his hair products, they wouldn't do what they were supposed to either: flyaways and cowlicks galore.

Oh well, so much for not pranking him, but he asked for it by messing with me.

"So?" Regulus asked.

"He will be miserable for a long time until he figures out what's causing his troubles: malfunctioning products." I threw back my head and laughed. "He has no idea that I am responsible for his upcoming misery."

**AN: Yes, another Pride and Prejudice quote. Except instead of being used for Elizabeth's Mr. Darcy, it's being used for her Mr. Collins.**


	38. Payback's a Bitch

**Lockhart**

Elizabeth's rejection wasn't entirely what I had expected. In fact, our meeting was nothing like I imagined. She didn't even read _The Daily Prophet_ that day because Rita Skeeter had written the article! All that time spent writing the letter was for nothing!

Then on top of that I found out that she already had a man and it was completely humiliating.

How could she do this to me? How dare she do this to me? After all of her looks, the alluring glances! _She_ was the one who started it. _I_ was the innocent party here. Now I would make her come through on her silent promises of love.

Nothing like this had happened to me since I became famous. In fact, even when I was in school, girls never refused me. Now the one girl I wanted was playing with my feelings by making me think that she wanted me and then turning around and shoving me away.

After making a necessary, but very silent, appearance at dinner, I sat in my favorite chair and poured a goblet of elf made wine. It always made me feel better and helped me think more clearly.

I should have made a plan B before I'd even written the letter, but I hadn't thought I would need it.

Severus was friends with Elizabeth; at least that was what the rumor mill said. According to everyone, he and Elizabeth were quite close and they spent a great deal of time together, though they were not romantically involved. She just might trust his judgment on men so I had to make Severus really like me.

Harry, Hermione and their friends _might_ be able to help me.

Hermione was just like every other girl and had a crush on me or idolized me so she would be proud to call me her step-father. She just acted the way she did because she was around her friends and wasn't sure if they liked me or not. If I was a little extra nice to her she would most definitely be a pawn in my new plan.

Harry and his little Slytherin friends, I needed to be careful with. They were more cunning than the average students, even for Slytherin. That and the way Harry looked at me made me think he wasn't too sure about me so I had to move extra cautiously around them.

Cedric could very easily be competition for her affections because he was a very nice looking young man who didn't appear to be too much younger than she was. She also seemed to prefer him to the others in that group. I was certain of her feelings for me, but sometimes even the most devoted heart can stray.

The twins were good little Gryffindors. If I favored them, they might tell Elizabeth all about how cool of a person I was.

This would be the one instance when Neville Longbottom would prove useful to me. His ignorance and stupidity would make it easy to convince him to put a good word in for me. After I was done with him I would make sure Harry and Hermione never spoke to him again because he was just unnecessary baggage who wouldn't help them in their careers.

I took a sip of wine feeling very satisfied with myself. Already I was feeling much better about everything. Elizabeth would forget all about her boyfriend and come running to me once those closest to her kept me on her radar and made her realize that her assessment of me had been completely wrong.

I knew she loved me. She had used that sultry, sexy, I-want-you, tone that she'd always used when speaking to me. Those green eyes framed with long, black lashes were smoldering with desire when she looked at me.

I downed the glass and another before heading to my room.

"I hate you, you fucking bastard!" Elizabeth screamed as she kicked me over and over again. She was much stronger than a woman her size should be and her pointed boots didn't make it any better.

After she was done with beating me, she tortured me in a variety of ways, and none of them had anything to do with sex.

I woke up aching all over, like my dreams had really happened which was nonsense since my four thousand Galleon bed was Charmed to give a person the best night's sleep they ever had. What was wrong with it?

Glancing at the clock, I realized I was very late. There was no time for breakfast this morning, which went against everything I'd wanted to do. I had hoped to talk to Severus to start phase one of my new plan. Oh well, I could always catch him this evening over dinner.

Kicking my latest conquest out of bed, I ran to the bathroom to prepare for the day.

After showering, I dressed quickly in my favorite robes, to make me feel better after Elizabeth's rejection, and set about doing my hair.

As I combed my hair, the image of black and blond haired children filled my mind. Elizabeth would be mine and we would have the most beautiful children that the Wizarding World had ever seen, even more beautiful than the Malfoys and all their perfection.

For some strange reason, my hair wasn't doing what it was supposed to do. Large sections were sticking out in very unattractive angles and little wisps of hair refused to lie down. In fact, the more of the product I used, the worse it got.

I looked at the clock and realized that I had no more time if I was going to make it to class on time.

As I hurried to my classroom, I couldn't help but notice that my shoes were squeaking. They weren't supposed to do that! They were supposed to last and last, but apparently, like my bed, the Charms had worn off.

Stomach growling, I opened the door to my classroom just before classes were supposed to begin.

Once I was back in the front of the room, I was very careful to stay as still as possible so my shoes would not squeak. That might annoy the very people I wanted on my side and then they wouldn't want to make Elizabeth like me.

Many of the students stared at me when they came into the room and I tried to keep from scowling at them. Yes I know my hair is a mess, but it's not my fault so leave me alone to wallow in my misery.

"Yeah I know. Elizabeth is absolutely amazing," Cedric was saying to his desk partner as they sat down. "I can ask her anything I want to about vampires and she almost always knows the answer."

"How's that?"

"I think she lived with vampires for a while before coming to England. Her story is incredible really. At least it is if you can get her to talk about it."

"Are you in love with her?" Kenneth teased in a sing-song voice.

"Nope."

"Come on, she's gorgeous! Or am I the only one who sees this?"

"Whatever, dude. You're crazy. Yes, she is very pretty, but she's also not the kind of girl you want to mess with."

"I know if I were friends with her, I would so try to tap that!"

Cedric snorted, "And she'll beat you within an inch of your life if you get too close to her."

"Did she beat you?"

"No, because I've never tried anything stupid like that."

"But you _do_ like her."

"When I first met her I had the biggest crush on her, but now she's just an awesome older friend."

"An awesome older friend with the most bangin' body I've ever seen. She may be tiny, but she's got great legs. In fact, she's mostly legs. Did you ever look at them? They're shaped like this!" he then demonstrated how Elizabeth's legs looked in her tight jeans. "And she's below my shoulder!"

"I had noticed, yes." Cedric grinned.

I hated Cedric. He was nearly a man and he was as close to Elizabeth as anybody could be. Did Elizabeth find him attractive? He was a handsome young man and had most girls around him drooling over him.

No. Elizabeth was in love with me. As long as I reminded myself of that, I would be able to keep my cool.

"Have you ever touched her?"

"She did sit on my lap once."

She did what? So much for keeping my cool, this was getting to be almost too much. She flipped out when I tried to touch her and yet she let some horny kid _hold_ her! Cedric didn't exactly behave like a horny kid, but still, he was a boy who appeared to be much closer in age to her than I was.

"Why!"

"She was pretending to be all upset about something so she sat next to me and fake cried while I held her. That's it."

He touched my Elizabeth? How dare he?

"What was it like?" Kenneth leaned forward as he eagerly waited for his friend's reply.

"Her skin is really warm and smooth like silk. She's just so tiny that it's almost like holding a doll except she doesn't feel like a doll. You know what else? She smells really good, like some sort of exotic perfume, flowers and a hint of some I don't know, something amazing." Cedric smiled at his memory.

For the first time in years jealousy reared its head in full force. Cedric had touched Elizabeth and she had let him. In fact, she had encouraged the contact! He had been close enough to her to smell her.

I wanted to shake him and yell at him for having more to do with my future wife than I had.

Before I could act on my thoughts and Cedric could continue torturing me with talk about Elizabeth, it was time for class.

"Today we will start on my book _Gadding With Ghouls_."

Cedric raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Diggory?" I didn't want to be nice to him but I had to since he was friends with Elizabeth. I hated him. I wanted him to die.

"I thought we were still working on _Voyages With Vampires_." Was it just me or was he making fun of me? There was an almost Slytherin smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"I've decided to change books since most people I've talked to seemed more interested in studying the ghouls than vampires." Right as I finished speaking I had a terrible gas attack and the most dreadful smell filled the classroom.

This couldn't be happening! I used to have bad gas before, but I thought that potion my healer gave me was supposed to keep this from happening ever again! I wanted nothing more than to hide in my bedroom and not come out until I could get that potion again.

All day the problem only got worse. I wished I knew a spell that could make at least the smell go away, but I didn't. It seemed like they got especially smelly when I was about to say something important.

The students kept glancing at each other each time I passed gas and some looked like they were trying to keep from laughing, especially Harry and his friends. They had figured out that I was having this embarrassing problem and told their friends. Soon the entire school would know and it would be difficult to show my face for a little while.

I skipped lunch because I wanted to avoid as many people as possible and with the way my body was acting, people might lose whatever they ate if I were around them. I could just see the headlines, "Lockhart's Stench Causes School to Vomit." I would never be allowed to forget that one or live it down.

At least no one knew that Elizabeth had rejected me. She didn't seem like the kind of person to publicize her life so I was safe from that, if only for the time being. It would be completely humiliating if people found out.

As soon as classes were over for the day, I practically ran to my rooms and collapsed in my chair.

Elizabeth would hear all about this and no telling what her reaction would be. As much as that guy she was dating had her wrapped around his finger, gauging what she would think was nearly impossible.

As I brushed my teeth before going to bed, I realized that my beard had grown much faster than it was supposed to and I was developing a terrible case of acne.

This was not happening to me! Gas, bad hair, backache, nightmares, squeaking shoes, Cedric, and now this? My life was turning into an absolute nightmare!

What had I done to deserve all of this happening, especially all at once?


	39. Demented Bludgers

**Elizabeth **

_I didn't get a chance to tell you this earlier, but nice job__in Defense With Stupidity. Lockhart was about ready to blow his top when you and your friend started talking about me the way you did._ I wrote to Cedric.

_It was a little awkward, especially since I knew you would be watching, but the look on his face was totally worth it._

_Tell your friend he'd better not actually touch me._

_Don't worry, he's not that stupid._

_He'd better not be or else he'll wake up in a hospital with no memory of how he got there and in a lot of pain._

_I'll be sure to tell him you said that._

"NO!" I jerked awake, sitting straight up.

Soledad gave a startled cry from her perch at my sudden movements.

"It's begun, Soledad. He's on the move."

I could See Ginny Weasley writing about her longing for friends, her crush on Harry, but that he never noticed her, everything. I studied the journal she was writing in and realized that it was a Horcrux. No! Ginny, stop writing!

I buried my face in my hands. The Dark Lord was using yet another little girl, just like he had tried to use me. The main difference between our stories was he hadn't come right out and told her he was Voldemort. She would be scarred for the rest of her life because of this. I should know because I was.

_This has to happen_. May whispered.

"Why?"

_There is a piece that is needed to take down Tom and the only way to get it is for this to happen._

"It doesn't make it right! She's just a little girl!"

_And you weren't?_

"That was different!"

_No, it isn't. You have your part to play and she has hers. I know this is hard for you because you see a lot of yourself in her, at least in regards to Tom, but there is no other way._ May sounded almost as upset about this whole thing as I was, but I also detected a hint of frustration.

"I don't want to talk to you right now. Leave me alone until you have something else you want to shove down my throat." I lay back down and pulled the blankets over my head, but found myself unable to sleep for the remainder of the night.

Images kept playing through my head of what the future held, but I could do nothing to stop it. If I tried to change things, the far future would turn out to be even worse than it was already going to be.

**Hermione**

I was sitting in Defense Against Nothing and doodling on a piece of parchment of all the things I wished would happen to Lockhart.

_My goodness, Hermione Granger, doodling in class? Shocking!_ It was Draco's handwriting and I realized exactly what it was I was drawing on.

_Can I help if I'm bored out of my mind?_

_Guess not. Too bad we really can't do these things to him._

_See that girl next to you?_ Blaise.

_Yes_. Me. He was talking about Lavender Brown.

A picture appeared of a stick figure with long, curly hair and she was drooling. Around her head floating hearts appeared then she screamed and fainted.

It was all I could do not to laugh.

_How about this?_ Draco drew a little story.

There was a tower and a stick figure labeled Lockhart walked up to the tower. He fell to his knees and sweat fell from his face, "Elizabeth! My love! I'm here!"

A stick figure with spiky hair appeared in the window, "You're ugly."

"I'm not ugly. I'm five-time winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most Charming Smile award!"

"Go away, creep."

"But my love, we-AHHH!" His hair shot straight up as a vampire, characterized by fangs even though Draco knew they didn't have any, jumped out of the bushes and scared him by waving his arms and making weird faces.

The vampire leaped to the window Elizabeth was standing in front of and climbed in. Curtains fell across the window and Elizabeth's and the vampire's shadows stared kissing.

"NOOOO!" Lockhart screamed and fell to his knees.

_Ha ha ha, that's very funny. But what would I be doing in the tower in the first place?_ Elizabeth's spidery, beautiful penmanship was easy to distinguish from everyone else's.

_Trying to get away from him?_ Draco.

_Hm. Don't let me stop your creativeness. Keep going. It's probably the most you'll ever learn with that idiot as a teacher._

**Elizabeth**

Three weeks later, I walked up the stairs in the bleachers on the Quidditch Pitch to sit next to Severus who had reserved a seat for me between himself and the end of the row. Lucius was there as well, seated on Severus's other side.

"Miss Masen," Lucius greeted.

"Mr. Malfoy." I nodded and sat down. "So, Severus, according to Harry you have some fairly young players on your team."

"Yes. Draco is a Chaser and backup Seeker and Blaise Zabini is a Beater. So altogether, I have three Second Years."

"But they are all very good players. Considering that Harry is very danger prone, Draco may see about as much time as Seeker as Harry before they graduate."

"I know. That's why I'm glad he decided to join the team."

Lockhart arrived just then and looked very upset that I was sitting where I was. He had apparently gotten new potions because his face and hair were clear.

Too bad. I wished he hadn't thought about changing products for a little while yet. I wanted to see him like that.

He was even more convinced than ever that I was in love with him and was planning on making a move now.

"Miss Masen, I would like to meet with you after the match to discuss Hermione."

"About what?" I asked. "She's not in trouble, is she? If she was, I thought Professor McGonagall would have come to me sooner."

"Well, she's just so smart, I'd hate to see her waste her talents by being held back. So I was-"

"I already give her plenty of extra-curricular studies, so she's doing just fine. By the time she is in Third Year, she will have surpassed you in education." I turned away from him.

"That's good to hear, but if you would meet with me, perhaps we could get on the same page about things." He was supposed to take that as an insult, not agree with me. Idiot.

"What Hermione studies outside the classroom is none of your business. She chooses what she wants to learn and I teach it to her. We don't need your _help_ so stay out of it."

The game started then, so I turned away from him.

About twenty minutes into the game Harry spotted the Snitch and headed towards it. As he flew, a Bludger started chasing Harry around the Pitch.

No matter what Harry did, the Bludger stayed on him.

I jumped up, furious, "That Bludger's been tampered with!"

"I'll stop it!" Lockhart stood up and pulled out his wand.

"Don't, you moron, you could hit Harry!" I knocked his arm down.

"Hermione! Leave the Snitch! No point in you getting hurt!" Wood shouted.

"Blaise! Stay with Harry!" Flint ordered.

Both players followed their Captains' orders.

I looked across the field at Ronald Weasley who was laughing with his friend. He was thinking how clever he had been to try that spell he'd found in Percy's books. He was so certain he wouldn't get caught and positive that Gryffindor would win.

Blaise did an excellent job keeping the Bludger away from Harry until it cut a corner he wasn't expecting, ramming him hard.

The Bludger beat Blaise to a pulp, slamming into him repeatedly until he fell to the ground. I could hear his bones breaking as the Bludger barraged him and the sound made me sick to my stomach because I remembered how my wrist felt when the Romanians broke it and imagined it all over like Blaise was enduring.

As soon as Blaise was on the ground, I jumped over the railing, onto the field, and rushed to Blaise's side. Lockhart wasn't far behind me and I wished I could sic the Bludger on him. _He_ was the one who deserved that kind of pain, not this boy.

I ran my hands down Blaise's body and cringed. He was bleeding internally and every single bone in his body was crushed. As my fingers probed his skull, which was shattered in several places, Harry hit the ground right next to me.

The Bludger made another attempt to hit both boys, but I flicked my wand and it disappeared before it could do any more damage, which in Blaise's case didn't really matter.

"How is he?" Harry asked, understandably worried. He was holding his arm which was obviously broken. The Snitch fluttered in his good hand.

"I'm not sure." Blaise was dying, but I couldn't tell him that. How could I?

The Weasley twins and Draco landed nearby and ran to where we were with the rest of the Slytherin team and The Troop not far behind.

"Your wrist is broken, let me fix it." Lockhart pulled his wand to try to 'help' Harry, but before he could do anything, I gave orders that interrupted his grand plans to 'save' Harry.

"Fred, George, you get Harry to the Hospital Wing and tell Madam Pomfrey that Blaise has been hurt very seriously. Two of you," I gestured to the Slytherin team, "get a stretcher for Blaise."

Flint grabbed the other Beater by the arm and they hurried away.

Severus and Lucius joined us by this time.

"He's not doing well," Lucius muttered as he looked Blaise over quickly. Even to an inexperienced eye, which the former Slytherins definitely were not, it was easy to see that Blaise was in critical condition.

"No, he's not. He has a lot of internal bleeding and head injuries. I don't think he'll last the night, or even the next few hours." I worked to try to stop his bleeding, but healing arts weren't my area of expertise.

"Let me help!" Lockhart said grandly, determined to prove to me what a skilled wand master he was.

"Get the hell away from us. This isn't some scrape on the knee. This is serious!" I scowled at Lockhart. "So get lost."

"Here," Flint and the other Beater laid the stretcher down next to Blaise.

"Help me." I looked at Severus and Lucius. Gently, we maneuvered the boy so that he was now on the stretcher. "Take him to the Hospital Wing as quickly and carefully as you can."

The boys complied, the rest of The Troop and Slytherin team following them.

"What were you thinking?" I hissed at Ronald Weasley who was standing to one side, not looking the least bit sorry for what he had done. "Because of you Blaise may die. If that does happen I will see to it that you are charged with murder as an adult."

"What are you saying?" McGonagall asked, horrified.

"That-that little…punk decided it would be a great joke to make the Bludger attack the Slytherin Seeker! Since Blaise kept getting in the way, it started going after him!" I shouted, infuriated.

"Is this true?" McGonagall turned to Ronald.

"No!" Ronald denied vehemently.

"Don't lie!" I snarled. "I am not a teacher so I can douse you up with Veriteserum and make you tell all about how you stole Percy's schoolwork and found that spell and decided that you were going to use it so Slytherin would lose."

"You're the one who messed up my books?" Percy joined in. "I knew it had to have been a Gryffindor since no one else knows our password, but I never thought that it was you! I thought you had more sense than that!"

McGonagall had heard enough so she grabbed Ronald's ear and dragged him off to her office.

I ran as fast as humanly possible for the Hospital Wing with Severus and Lucius not far behind.

Blaise was cleaned and bandaged, but his face was swollen beyond recognition with black rings forming around his eyes. His breathing was shallow and raspy as his lungs kept filling with blood. His heart stopped for a full five seconds before it resumed its stuttering rhythm.

Madam Pomfrey looked up at us and turned back to Blaise. There was not much she could do for him so she was just trying to make him as comfortable as possible before he died.

I sat on the edge of the bed and brushed Blaise's hair out of his face. His future was slipping away with every labored breath he took. I wanted to scream at whatever Fate had decided to take this boy's life.

"He's dying isn't he?" Draco whispered. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he brushed them away fiercely, smearing dirt across his face.

"His chances don't look good," Lucius replied and placed a hand on his son's shoulder, comforting him in the only way he knew how.

The students gathered around the bed looked stricken and more than one had tears on their faces.

_May, please, where are you? I can't let him die! He's supposed to live. I Saw him in the future. Help me!_

_Let go. You know what to do. Your instincts will guide you. _

I took a deep breath and closing my eyes, I placed my hands on either side of Blaise's face, pouring some of my power into his body.

"Come back. It's not time for you to go."

Light infused us and pulsed like a heartbeat, giving Blaise new life. His life force was no longer slipping away and his breathing was much stronger.

I pulled back and smiled at the sight that met my eyes. Blaise looked healthy, almost completely healed except for a faint shadow of a bruise across his cheek. He wasn't completely well, but he would be in a few days.

Blaise opened his eyes and looked around, "Hey, guys." His lids fluttered shut and he fell into a normal sleep.

"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked, terrified that there was still something seriously wrong with him.

"He's sleeping." I felt immense relief that Blaise was going to be okay. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. In fact, he'll be playing in the next Slytherin game."

The door opened and Wood walked in, grimfaced and still in his Quidditch uniform.

"How is he?" Wood looked at the boy on the bed and his face relaxed a little when he saw that Blaise was looking much better than he had on the Pitch.

"He's resting now."

"Good. I want you to know that I had no idea this was going to happen. If I did, I would have forfeited before the game even started."

"I know," I replied.

Wood nodded once and left the room.


	40. One Step Closer

**Ron **

I couldn't believe this! How had Elizabeth figured it out? Was she a mind reader? I hated her.

As I thought, an owl skidded to a halt in front of me with a red envelope in its mouth.

_Ronald Weasley! How dare you try to harm another student? Your Head of House told me what had happened! What were you thinking, hurting someone, especially like that? I am so ashamed of you! Your father and I did not teach you to behave this way! _

_I don't care who you think this boy is you hurt. Just because he's in a different House than you are does not mean he did anything to deserve it! From what I've heard, he's done absolutely nothing to you!_

_If you so much as get one hair out of line, I am going to bring you straight home!_

Never had I been so embarrassed. I hated Elizabeth Masen with a passion. Because of her, I now had detention with Filch, and my mother sends me a Howler.

I looked up at Hermione and saw that she was snickering. What did she see in those Snakes she always hung out with, especially Malfoy? It was easy to see that she had a thing for him. Everyone knew it. To make matters worse, Snake Breath also had a thing for Hermione. She was supposed to like me! I was a member of her House and I wasn't a pureblood supremacist.

"Here you are, the little brat. You're mine until school lets out for the summer." Filch grinned madly. "You are going to be cleaning every inch of this wing with a toothbrush and no magic. Don't even try because it's been Warded."

I stared at the room, horrified. It was covered in dust and slime. Did they dirty up this place just so I would have to clean it?

Groaning, I picked up the toothbrush and started scrubbing.

When I got my hands on her, I was going to hurt her. If she had kept her mouth shut, this would have never happened to me. Now, I was stuck here, cleaning.

**Elizabeth**

When Hermione was attacked by the Basilisk, I screamed at May, _Look what happened! I could have prevented this! Let me go!_

_No. She's alive and once the potion is made, she will be just fine._

_Just fine, but at what cost?_

_You're a fine one to talk about cost. She knows. _

_Knows what?_

_If you were trying so hard to protect her, why did you lie to her? That was why she was in the library. She was figuring it out._

Shit. Hermione knew who her parents were.

What was I going to tell her about why I kept this from her? What excuse did I have? There was no good reason, only that I didn't trust her like I should have because over and over she had proved herself capable of keeping it a secret.

"What did I do, Soledad?" I whispered. "She may never trust me again."

Soledad gave a soft cry and ruffled her feathers.

After Harry was bitten by the basilisk, I Apparated directly to his side and glowered at the teenage Tom Riddle who was mocking him about dying.

"You want to know what they say about pride?" I snarled as I went into a crouch beside Harry and Ginny. A softly muttered spell kept Tom from taking any more of Ginny's life force, but he wouldn't know about that until it was too late.

"What do they say?" Tom sneered.

"Pride goes before destruction," I growled as I pulled my knife out of my boot.

"Like that little toy will actually do anything," he scoffed.

"Don't be so sure about that." I smiled viciously, exposing my razor sharp teeth. "I'm pretty sure basilisk venom destroys just about everything."

"No!" He realized what I was doing and lunged towards me, but it was too late.

"Ciao, bastard." With that, I pierced the cover of the journal and ink poured from it like blood. I stabbed it again and again until Tom disappeared screaming in agony, much like the ring had a year earlier. So this _was_ a Horcrux.

Ginny sat up with a sharp gasp. She looked around, completely disoriented by her surroundings.

"Harry, I swear, I didn't mean to. Riddle, he made me." She seemed more horrified about Harry knowing what she had done than anything else.

"I know." Harry was weakening fast from the venom poisoning his veins.

"Give me." I took Harry's arm in my hands.

"Harry! You're hurt!" Ginny cried when she saw his bloodied arm and torn sleeve.

"He'll be alright in a minute." I waved my hand over the wound and pulled the venom out, healing it.

"It's over," Harry said with a sigh of relief.

"It is for now." Picking up the journal and putting it in my pocket, I said, "Let's get out of here." Placing a hand on each child's shoulder, I guided them up the tunnels to the girl's bathroom.

"So you didn't die?" a young, female ghost wailed in disappointment when she saw Harry.

"No, Myrtle, I didn't." The ghost was making Harry very uncomfortable and I had to try to keep from laughing.

"It's a good thing too," I added with a grin. So this was Moaning Myrtle. I'd heard a great deal about her from various former students but had never seen her before.

"Harry, Harry, Harry. What have I told you about drawing attention to yourself?" Lockhart said as soon as he caught sight of Harry.

"Maybe if you had done your job instead of preening over heroics you had nothing to do with, he wouldn't have had to do this!" I hissed.

"Miss Mason! I didn't know you were here!" He smiled brightly at me."I'm so happy to see you!"

"Of course you are." To Ginny, I said, "Come on. You need to get up to the Hospital Wing so Madam Pomfrey can have a look at you, so she can make sure that there's no lasting damage."

"Can't you do that?" Ginny asked. "I mean, you helped Harry and Blaise."

"I think your parents would feel better if she took a look at you instead of me." I brushed against her mind and realized she was terribly ashamed about everything and didn't want to face anyone because of that. "Don't worry, no one blames you. Many a stronger, older, and wiser witch and wizard fell for his deceptions. In fact, I think everyone will just feel more relieved that you're okay and that no one was killed than anything else."

"You're sure?" Ginny whispered.

"I'm positive."

I led them to the Hospital Wing where The Troop was gathered around Hermione's bed.

Bile rose in my throat when I looked at Hermione lying there with a horrified expression on her face. I was supposed to protect her but I didn't. I failed her. She had trusted me to keep her safe and I failed.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley rushed towards her daughter and embraced her tightly. "Thank you so much!" she sobbed, looking at me.

"It's Harry you should be thanking because he did more than I did. I merely tied a couple loose ends." Turning to the healer, I asked, "Madam Pomfrey, how long until the Mandrake potion is administered?"

"According to Madam Sprout the Mandrakes are ready to be sent down to Severus, so altogether, just a few more hours."

"Let me know when. There's something very important I need to talk to Hermione about and it can't wait."

"I will be sure to do that."

"Thank you so much."

"Miss Masen?" Ginny asked in a small voice.

"Yes?" I turned to her.

"Thanks, you know, for what you said at Flourish and Blotts. It helped me."

"I wish I could have done more."

Ginny walked back over to where her parents were standing.

"We want to ask you something," George said as the twins approached me. The rest of The Troop wasn't far behind.

"Sure. What is it?" I placed a hand on my hip and raised an eyebrow.

"We've been discussing it and we would like for Ginny to be a part of our group." Fred said.

George continued, "It would make it so that there's more than one girl in the group."

"Maybe if she'd had friends she never would have done this," Fred continued.

"It's up to you. I don't care who you have or don't have as your friends, as long as they're not a danger to you."

"What about the Parchment though?" Cedric asked. "You're the only person who can make something like that."

"Now as you probably already know, I knew this was going to happen; so I've already got her covered. Ginny, come here. I have something for you." I said as I pulled the Parchment out of my pocket.

"What is it?" Ginny turned it over, completely confused.

"It's a communication device. Each one of The Troop has one and I have the master Parchment so I can make any changes I feel are needed. If someone writes something on their Parchment, everyone who has a sister Parchment can read it. But only the owners of the Parchment can read what's been written."

"That's like the diary." Ginny shuddered.

"But it's nothing like that, because it's all of us writing each other. It's Warded so nothing like that can happen, nor can anyone pretend to be us. And there is no way anyone can create a working Parchment to eavesdrop. If they _Gemini_ a copy, it will be only a random piece of parchment. Your brothers can fill you in on the finer details and they'd better do it right because I will know if they lie." I raised an eyebrow at the twins and they laughed.

"We will be sure-" George said.

"To fill her in on everything you didn't mention," Fred finished.

"And not to lie," I added."

"So this means I'm a part of the group?" Ginny asked timidly.

"I suppose it does," I smiled.

"I've never had any close friends before." Ginny smiled to herself as she slipped the Parchment into her pocket.

With a smile I headed for the door to go to the Forbidden Forest so I could go home.

As I walked down the hallway, Lockhart grabbed my arm and wrapping both arms around me, tried to pull me to him.

With a snarl of fury, I shoved him off. "If you ever touch me again, I'll kill you!"

"But we love each other!" Lockhart shouted. "I know you love me! Why else would you-"

I cut him off, "I hate you! I don't know what got into your head to make me think I ever gave a damn about you!"

"What is going on here?" Severus drawled.

"Nothing, lovers' quarrel," Lockhart said. The look he gave Severus was enough to make me want to kill the bastard.

"Lovers nothing. I hate you and you don't seem to get that through your head."

"Mr. Lockhart, I suggest you keep your hands to yourself, especially with Miss Masen."

"Why? Are you trying to keep her for yourself?" Lockhart sneered.

Severus grabbed Lockhart by the collar, "You dare suggest that when I can have you charged with attempted rape? Oh yes, I saw you grab her. She has made it perfectly clear on multiple occasions that she wanted nothing to do with you, yet you still pursue her." Severus let go of Lockhart and pushed him back. "You had better stay away from her or I will report this."

"You stay the hell out of my life!" I shouted as Lockhart walked quickly away from us. "Why me?" I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose as soon as he was out of sight.

"Because you're beautiful, perhaps one of the most beautiful women anyone has ever seen, even amongst the Veelas and full vampires."

"Why couldn't he obsess over one of them instead of me?"

"Because you are around humans so much, the fear factor has been tempered so Harry and Hermione won't be scared of you. As a result, you give the impression that you are just barely out of reach and that is the kind of woman a lot of men go for. Veelas and vampires though are obviously unattainable unless they are the ones that give chase."

"Yay," I muttered dryly.

Twelve hours later, I found myself waiting outside the Hospital Wing for Hermione to come out. I could hear the formerly petrified people stirring around so I knew it was only a matter of moments before I had to face Hermione.

"Hey." I stood up as soon as I saw her walking through the doors.

"Hi." Hermione seemed a little uncomfortable.

"Let's take a walk." I led the way down to the lake.

"Why did you never tell me?" Hermione broke the silence. There was a tremor in her voice and a tear welled over and trickled down her cheek.

"Because I was being really, really stupid. I didn't trust you like I should have even though you've proven over and over again that you are capable of keeping something like this a secret." I didn't like admitting I was wrong. Hell, I'd never even been wrong before.

"So it wasn't because you didn't want me to know?"

"No! I want you to be proud of who you are! Just think, you are really a half-blood!"

"Yeah, that is true." Hermione chuckled wryly. "Too bad I can't tell anyone."

"You know, once this war is over, you can smear it in Pansy Parkinson's pug face."

"I just might do that." Her eyebrows furrowed and she asked, "How long have you known?"

"Since right after James and Lily were murdered. I became curious about your parentage and when I couldn't find anything in the muggle world, I broke into the Ministry of Magic."

"You broke into the Ministry of Magic?"

"Yeah. It was in the middle of the night so no one was there."

I caught a whisper of thought from her that needed addressing.

"Is there something you should be telling me but you're keeping from me?"

Hermione bit her lip, "Is it wrong for me to like one of my friends over the others and not in a friend way?"

"No, not at all. Who is it?"

A soft blush colored Hermione's cheeks as she whispered, "Draco."

"Ah."

"What? I-is that a bad thing?"

"No. There's nothing wrong with liking him. I'm actually surprised you didn't say anything sooner."

"He's just gotten so handsome lately. I mean, not that he wasn't nice looking before, but now he's just…"

"Growing into his bone structure?"

"Yeah and it's amazing."

"You need to be sure of your decisions. No matter what anyone else says, you need to be confident with what you believe."

"Thanks." Hermione fell silent.

There was something else bothering her so I waited for her to continue.

"Elizabeth Cullen."

"What did you say?" I turned to face her, startled at her use of my real name. The only one I'd ever told who I really was, was Regulus and I knew he wouldn't have told anyone that.

"You're Elizabeth Cullen. You are a member of Carlisle Cullen's family."

"That was a long time ago, before you were born."

"If it was so long ago why would you use E.C. during your reign of terror?"

"I really don't know," I whispered. "Maybe it's because I never wanted to let them go and I blamed the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters for taking me away from them."

"You miss them."

A single tear escaped from my eyes and I whispered hoarsely, "Every day." Emotions I had locked away for so long came raging to the surface and threatened to overtake me, but I beat them back.

"Go to them! Go home! Your family is still alive so why are you forcing yourself to endure this pain?"

"I can't! I violated a treaty they had made with some very powerful creatures and it can't be forgiven. So to keep peace between them I can never go home." That was the only reason I regretted killing Josiah Brenner. Even in death he was destroying lives.

"Do they have any idea where you are?"

"One of them knows where to find me in a few years, but isn't allowed to find me yet." Jacob would wish he hadn't found me when he did because I was a total disappointment, especially when compared to Renesmee. "They'll hate me for what I've become so once this is over, I'll just disappear." I started walking towards the castle.

"What about your family? They deserve to know at least that you're still alive!" Hermione hurried to catch up.

"I'd rather them not know than for them to be ashamed of me! This conversation is over! Don't bring it up again!" I ran to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and Apparated to the summit of Mount Everest where I would be completely alone.

The air was thin and frigid, but I could still breathe just fine.

Away from everyone, I let my emotions have me. Falling to my knees, I screamed as loudly as I could. Even if someone was near enough to hear me they would have thought it was the wind that shrieked and beat at the mountain peak.

The thought of my family's shame was almost too much for me. I couldn't bear to endure their censure.

Why had I even run to begin with? I should have stayed and let them help me, but I didn't want to involve them in this mess.

"Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? Do You hear me?" I shouted at the sky and to the God that Carlisle clung to so ardently. "Are You even listening? Am I really damned so You don't even bother listening to me? Am I not worth Your time?"

The pressure changed as yet another storm prepared to assault the mountaintop.

"I guess I have my answer." Tears streamed down my cheeks as I lay on the mountain, letting the storm beat at me.


	41. Sirius Black

**Elizabeth**

Hermione didn't bring up my family again, but I knew that it was constantly on her mind. She kept thinking about if she found out her family were still alive what she would have done, how she would have hunted them down and made sure she was a part of their lives.

She didn't understand. My family was better off not knowing the kind of person I had become. They didn't need to know that I was worse than Edward was in his darkest times or comparable to Jasper's time with the newborn army.

May was wrong about me, in everything.

Yes, I rescued the people I now considered my family, but only because I knew that they would serve my purpose in the end. Hermione would be the brains behind Harry's cleverness, Harry was the final piece in the puzzle, and Regulus was the one who had first told me about the Dark Lord's Horcruxes. Though I had come to care very deeply about them, it had only been after I got to know them.

I was cold, heartless. I was beyond saving.

"Elizabeth, did you hear that Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban?" Harry asked me one morning over breakfast. "It was all over the wireless last night."

"Yes, I Saw it."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing. He's clever enough that he'll keep away from the Ministry."

"Why not?" Hermione asked.

"Because I need to draw out Peter Pettigrew and the only way to do that is if Sirius is constantly in the news and on the loose." I swirled the blood around my cup once before downing it quickly.

"So you really think Peter Pettigrew is guilty?" Hermione toyed with a piece of bacon as she spoke.

"I know he is. He's the only other one who could have done it."

_The Daily Prophet_ kept chock full of blithering idiots claiming to be experts on the Sirius Black 'case' and where he likely was hiding. There were reports of sightings in places Sirius hadn't even been close to.

"This is a complete joke!" I scoffed. "Listen to this 'Sirius Black was seen around the Lestrange place two days ago so we are assuming that he is trying to rally the Death Eaters who are still on the loose while he waits for Harry Potter to come out of hiding for school.'"

"Sirius hated anything to do with the Dark Lord and that includes Death Eaters." The furrow between Reginald's eyebrows deepened at some remembered pain. Sirius had liked his friends better than he had his own brother.

"He's more likely to maul them to death than recruit them." I snickered at my own joke about Sirius's Animagus form.

"Very funny." Reginald rolled his eyes at me.

I looked in the mirror, studying my hair. As much as I liked my hairstyle, I decided it was time for a new cut. Screwing up my face, I made my now dark violet hair go just pasted my shoulders with slanted bangs over my eyes in a sharp cut style. I added streaks of layers of white underneath so they would peek through the violet, with a chunk hidden in my bangs. When I was finished, I looked in the mirror and found that this was a look that would stick around for a while. The colors would be changed around with the white being exchanged for other colors when I felt like it and the purple would become black to accommodate these other colors.

"Wow, I like your hair," Hermione said when I came down for breakfast the next morning, "especially the colors."

"I wonder what _dear Lockhart_ will say about my new look." I snickered as I sat down.

"Why do you say that?" Hermione asked.

"Because he's convinced that I'll change my look for him and marry him and have his children. So, yes, I may have changed my look but it wasn't for him and I definitely won't marry him or have his little brats."

"Did he tell you this?" Hermione looked a little sickened.

"Not exactly, but he thought it, a lot, in disgusting detail."

"Yuck." Hermione shuddered.

"Yeah and he's also been thinking a lot about how he's going to make a killing off of writing a story about Harry being his step-son."

"I wouldn't give him the opportunity," Harry growled, stabbing his egg fiercely.

"Don't worry. I won't let it get that far. Hell, I'm not letting it get anywhere." I rested my chin on my palm, "You know, I have half a mind to introduce him to my uncle sooner or later if he doesn't get the hint."

"What can your uncle do?" Harry asked.

"He can sense and manipulate the emotions of those around him." I grinned. "If I did do that, I would have my uncle make Lockhart be so afraid of me that he runs away screaming while crapping himself.

"Wicked!" Harry laughed.

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet. I wish I had the talent. I'd make him feel repulsed just to be in the same room with me."

"Here." I handed Harry and Hermione each a chocolate bar at the train station as they prepared to return to school. "You'll need this, trust me. Share with your friends if necessary."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Demetors will be searching the train for Sirius Black. With the things you have been through Harry, they are likely to attack you harder than they will the others."

They said nothing, but exchanged worried glances as they took their candy.

"Be safe." I waved to them and they walked away to join their friends.

I watched them climb onto the train, hating that I was sending them to face Dementors without me to help them.

_The Minister isn't allowing me to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow because of Sirius Black. Last Hogsmeade weekend it didn't matter because I had some schoolwork I needed to get done and Professor Snape wouldn't have let me go until it was finished anyways, but now I want to go and I can't. I wish I could have someone else do something, but you know why I can't._ Harry wrote one evening.

_The bastard can't make you stay at the school if I'm in Hogsmeade with you. Why didn't you tell me about this last time? I could have done something about it sooner._ I was furious that the Minister would dare do something like this. I knew that it was because it was the one way he could control Harry since I wasn't easy to find and bully into submission.

_Because I knew that you have important things to do to finish off Voldemort once and for all._ This was one of those times that Harry's past came back to haunt him: he sometimes believed that he wasn't as important as other people or things.

_You're more important. The things I have to do can be done any other time, day or night. I can take three or four hours out of my schedule and make sure you have a good time._

_Thanks._

_You have the map and the cloak. Use them. I'll meet you at The Three Broomsticks. The Minister will be there and I'll take care of everything. Don't worry._

After a quick check into the future, I saw that Lockhart also had something planned and would be there as well. I was looking forward to humiliating him, yet again.

There was a niggling at the back of my mind that demanded attention, but I ignored it. I had too many other things already to think about without adding something else to the list. If I did, then really important things would start slipping through the cracks and that wasn't something I needed. All my attention had to be focused on Harry, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, the Dark Lord, Death Eaters, the future of the Wizarding World, my own problems with Lockhart, as well as Delores Umbitch and the Minister of Morons. That was already a lot to think about, even with my ability for multi-cognitive thought.

Speaking of the Minister, it was time to visit the Ministry of Magic again and make sure I had enough information on the 'dear Minister' to make him see things my way.

With a smirk, I Apparated directly into the Minister's office.

"Let's see, what do we have here?" I whispered when I opened a spell-locked drawer. There was a folder labeled 'Sirius Black.'

I flipped it opened and started reading.

_I know Sirius Black is not the man who is responsible for James and Lily's deaths, but I needed someone to take the fall quickly because it was such a high profile killing. The way he acted made it easy to pin everything on him._

_Who the real killer is, I don't know. But since Sirius seems to have killed Peter Pettigrew, I can just as easily say that he killed James and Lily. The only problem that I could see arising from this is if the real killer resurfaces and admits to his crimes._

_I just hope no one finds out that I sentenced an innocent man to Azkaban for the rest of his life. If someone did find out, it would mean my career. It's bad enough that Delores Umbridge knows. In fact she was the one to give me the idea of not letting Sirius have a trial…_

I grinned without humor. This was perfect. I had real blackmail on the Minister.

Now, for something to shut Umbitch up. Yes, I had her ramblings about Remus, but I wanted something more. Umbitch wasn't quite as easy to manipulate as Fudge was. So, I slipped into her office and found some pages that had been missing from her diary that were dated right after James and Lily's deaths.

…_If I send Black to Azkaban then Remus will have no one. I know Pettigrew is more than likely the killer because I saw him with Mucilber and Avery more than once, but no one else knows that. Remus depended on Black more than he did Pettigrew so if I knock out his support system, he will have no one to fall back on except for me._

_In fact, I will have his friend released from prison once we're together…_

The little bitch knew exactly who was responsible and she did nothing! In fact, she encouraged putting Sirius behind bars and stupid little Fudge had followed her idea!

I hated them more than ever.

The next day, I took a deep breath and walked into The Three Broomsticks for my confrontation with the Minister.


	42. Hogsmeade Weekend

**Elizabeth**

"Madam Rosemerta, would you be so kind as to inform the Minister upon his arrival that Harry Potter's guardian wishes to have a word with him? It is imperative that I speak with him as soon as possible, but it won't take too long, just a few minutes. I'll be in the booth over there." I pointed to the booth in the far corner.

"Of course."

"Thank you." I walked through the crowded pub and took my seat.

After five minutes, the Minister, Umbitch, and Lockhart were walking over to my table.

"What is this all about?" the Minister huffed. "I have a very important meeting to attend."

"Minister, I gave Harry permission to come to Hogsmeade and yet _you_ forbade him. Why?" I remained seated, refusing to give him the honor of a vampire standing for him.

"Ahem," Umbitch coughed.

"Yes?" I turned to her completely bored. "Did you have something to say, or do you have an annoying cough that needs to be taken care of?"

"Harry's guardians are _muggles_. Are you a muggle? No." Umbitch pulled herself up as though she was someone very important.

"Those morons _were_ his guardians until he was eight. After that, I claimed custody of him and by whatever law you look up, whether muggle or Wizarding, he is mine. Everyone knows that, except you, obviously. Now, either you let Harry come to Hogsmeade, or I'm finding a new school that is _not_ under your jurisdiction. If anyone asks why, I'll tell them the truth."

"And what is that?" the Minister huffed.

"That you think it's up to you what parents do with their children. I'm sure Mr. Malfoy would be _very_ happy to hear that."

"Are you threatening our Minister?" Umbitch squeaked.

"No. I'm just foretelling his future if he doesn't do exactly as I say."

"I'm trying to protect Harry from Sirius Black! Why can't you understand this?"

"You will leave Harry alone or I will make things very difficult for you." I smirked at the three imbeciles in front of me.

"If you continue on this path, you won't be allowed to marry your fiancé," Umbitch said loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the pub and then she smiled at me as though she'd won some grand victory.

"Oh no! Whatever shall I do? Wait, who are we talking about?" I looked around the room, in fake confusion. So this was what Lockhart was planning.

"You and Gilderoy are to get married in a few weeks. Isn't that correct? You signed a petition for marriage." Umbitch placed her hands on her very ample hips when she saw that Remus Lupin had entered the room.

"What? This is the first time I've heard about it." I glanced at Remus and rolled my eyes. He shook his head slightly.

"Then what is this?" Lockhart stepped in, slamming a piece of parchment down on the table in front of me.

"Never saw it before," I started picking imaginary dirt out of my fingernails. The name on the document was _Elisabeth Mason._ It was in my handwriting, sort of, but that was not my name at all. If I were to have signed a document like that I wouldn't have signed it _Elizabeth Masen_. I would have signed it _Elizabeth Cullen_ because that was the only way it would have been valid.

"So you don't want to marry Lockhart?" the Minister asked. He seemed to be changing tactics now.

"Nope."

"Then you will just have to," Umbitch giggled. "It's impossible to break a contract like this because they are _magical_." She glanced over at Remus and fluttered her eyelashes. The expression on Remus's face was a mixture of disgust and confusion.

"So I won't be able to burn this piece of paper?" I picked up the document.

"No. You and I are getting married, my love." Lockhart looked truly crazed now. His normally 'perfect' hair looked like I had played another prank on him, his clothes were a disaster, and he smelled strongly of sex and whiskey. I tried not to gag because it was truly revolting.

"Hm." I picked up the parchment and pulled out my silver lighter. Flicking it on, I held the paper to the flame and it caught instantly. "Oh dear." I looked up at the three astonished faces with a wicked grin on my face. "Now, I wonder what could have made it do that." I placed the paper on the table and watched it burn with a wide smile on my face.

"What?" Lockhart stared in shock. "It wasn't supposed to do that! It was supposed to make you have to marry me!"

Leaning back in my seat, I stretched my legs out in front of me. "Now tell me, what possessed you to try to forge my signature? Is it because you are _so desperate_ for me to be with you that you resorted to illegal methods? I could bring you to trial for this." Turning so that the other two were included, I said, "Now, the three of you listen up. Leave me and mine alone. That includes but not limited to, not giving Harry any rules that the others don't have and trying to force me to marry someone that makes me wish the world was flat so I could push them off the edge. Harry will be allowed to come to Hogsmeade provided his Head of House feels as though his work his up to par with what he can do. If anyone tampers with his work to keep him away from the village, I will make sure that all your dirty little secrets come out and I know you don't want that. Good day." I stood up and walked out of the bar.

Harry was standing near his friends along the fence that bordered the Shrieking Shack when I found them. His Invisibility Cloak was stored in a messenger bag he carried along for that purpose.

"So?" Harry looked at me expectantly.

"They complied. I don't think you'll be having any more trouble with them. Did you know that Lockhart tried to force me to marry him?" I asked as I stuck my hands in my pockets.

"What?" Ginny was shocked. She'd heard some of the stories about Lockhart's obsession with me, but hadn't realized just how bad it was.

"Yeah. He had this forged married request. Get this, he spelled my name wrong!"

"What an idiot!" Fred snickered.

"Oh, Elizabeth, marry me even though I don't know how to spell your name!" George pretended to be a forlorn lover, hanging on my arm, as he spoke.

"It's funny that he couldn't spell your name right and he's supposed to be _so in love_ with you." Cedric shook his head and chuckled once.

Glancing around, I noticed Hermione and Draco weren't there. "Where's Hermione?" I asked.

"She and Draco went somewhere. She didn't say where, but she did say for us not to worry, they're not up to anything bad," Blaise replied.

"She'd better not be or I will be furious with her."

_Don't look._ May's voice stopped me from trying to find what Hermione and Draco were up to. _Don't worry, they still have their clothes on and they will remain on. Hermione has some business to take care of so Draco decided to accompany her._

I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, you changed your hair since the last time we saw you!" Neville remarked.

"Yeah. I decided it was time for a new look." I shrugged.

"I wish I was a metamorphemagus," he said wistfully. "It must be nice."

"It just means that if I return to the muggle world, I'll be able to stay in the same town for much longer than the rest of my kind could dream of getting by with if they are going to be around humans all the time and not eat them. All I have to do is move one me out of town and move the new me in."

Hermione and Draco joined us after about an hour and they smelled strongly of vampires. Where had they been to come in contact with vampires? Only a few places came to mind and they all went in direct disobedience with what I had told her. What had she been up to anyways?

I glanced at Draco and suppressed a smile at the way he was standing near Hermione. He was so protective of her, like a vampire with his mate. It reminded me a little of my own parents. When one would move, the other would move, like they were satellites of one another.

I recalled a passage from the Veela book I had:

…_The male Veelas are very rare, but do exist. The male will find a mate and love that mate forever. Any woman fortunate enough to have a Veela mate, will be among the most protected, most loved women in the world…If rejected, the Veela will slowly start to die because his mate is his entire world. This has only happened once because the woman also feels the pull towards him, though not as strongly as he does for her…If a male Veela meets his mate before his seventeenth birthday, he will still feel the draw for her and her scent will appeal to him like no other…_

The finding of a Veela male's mate was much like the shape-shifters imprinting. Perhaps all magic, no matter where it originated, followed similar rules. Former humans and half-humans seemed to find their mates in much the same way: their scents and eye contact.

In Honeyduke's, a pretty Asian girl kept looking at Cedric and I could tell from her thoughts that she had a crush on him.

"Hey, Ced, who is that?" I gestured to her when she was looking in the other direction so she wouldn't notice that I was talking about her.

"Cho Chang. She's the Ravenclaw Seeker," Cedric answered. He was trying to play it cool, but his thoughts told a totally different story.

"Ask her on a date!" I whispered and pushed him towards her a little.

"What?" Cedric looked at me as if I was out of my mind.

"You both like each other. Ask her out."

Cedric shook his head.

"You know, if you don't ask her out now, someone else will and it will be another year before she's single again. Do you really want Marcus Flint to kiss her?" It wasn't that I didn't like Marcus, but I knew Cedric hated him.

"No." Cedric walked over to Cho and I tuned out what was being said because I already knew the outcome. Besides, I respected Cedric's privacy enough to try to give him what little I could.

"What's Ced doing?" Fred asked.

"I do believe he's getting himself a girlfriend." I picked up some Blood Pops and sniffed them. They smelled like congealed blood and sugar and something else, like a preservative of some sort. Nasty!

"Why don't you get some of those?" Hermione teased.

"Because they smell revolting!" I made a face and put it back. "Who eats those things anyway?"

"Vampires eat them, stupid!" Ronald Weasley overheard my question and came waltzing over.

"No, they don't. I'm sure any vampire you ask will agree that they smell absolutely terrible."

Ronald huffed at me, scowling darkly, and then caught sight of Draco and Hermione. Draco had his hand cupping Hermione's elbow and she was leaning into him a little. Ronald's ears burned redder than his hair.

"So, you really have turned traitor now."

Draco's gray eyes flashed steely at Ron's accusatory tone and he looked like he was on the verge of flipping out.

"Back off, Ronald." I stepped between them.

"Why? Because I don't want to make Daddy Malfoy mad?" he laughed like it was a great joke.

"No" I cut in, "because you don't want to make Draco mad. Now, get out of this store and leave us alone or this time I will rip your guts out regardless of the mess it creates."

"You'd better listen to her, Ronald." Ginny's fingers flexed like she wanted to reach for her wand.

Ronald growled and stormed away.

"What was that all about?" Cedric walked over to us, his fingers laced with Cho's.

"Ronald Weasley has a thing for Hermione, but…" I waved towards Draco and Hermione. "He feels like she's a traitor, I suppose, because she's chosen a Slytherin over a Gryffindor. Personally, I don't know what Houses has to do with who you date."

"So, you don't mind?" Hermione asked.

"The only thing I mind about this whole thing is the fact that you both smell like you've been around vampires. What were you doing?"

"Nothing. Research project," Hermione answered quickly, too quickly.

"Right. Research." I didn't push it but she knew that I knew she was lying.

Besides, I had bigger things to worry about than Hermione visiting vampires. There wasn't anything I could do about that now anyways because the damage was done. So I would spend my energy focused on more fulfilling pursuits. I had three people to torment.


	43. I Solemnly Swear Again

**Elizabeth**

I hung up the phone with a wicked smirk. This was going to be even better than I thought

Carefully, I packed a bag of things I would need to go through with my plans and pranks. Tonight, at least as far as Umbitch was concerned, I would be playing my dirtiest pranks, something I'd thought of doing, but never actually did it.

Once dark settled over the countryside, I sat in the tree outside Umbitch's house and waited for all the lights to go out. Once I was sure she was out for the count, I crept into her house to begin my wicked mayhem.

The cats all hissed at me and scurried away, but Umbitch didn't even stir. Maybe it was because I made them all go to sleep when the raucous first started. They lay where they'd been when the spell hit, sprawled all over the living room.

In Umbitch's bedroom, after making sure she was deeply asleep with a Charm, I threw condoms that looked like they'd been used on the floor. A few sex toys were added to the mix and I turned her clothes into a set of trashy lingerie—talk about gross with her fat and flab going everywhere. Her sheets were all messed up to look like she'd had quite a _party_. I also spelled a couple of hickeys in random places.

On her nightstand I left a note.

_Call if you ever need us again._

_The Three Dirty Boys_

_P.S. Keep the clothes._

At the bottom of the note was a telephone number—it was to one of the most disreputable whorehouses I could find. They would be sure to confirm the existence of such men even if it wasn't true.

The condoms, the telephone number, everything was clearly muggle and Umbitch detested muggles with a passion. So to her, sleeping with not only one, but three would probably make her sick.

To make it even more convincing, I placed empty Firewhiskey bottles around the room. Beside the note, I placed a half full bottle of Firewhiskey and a mostly used tube of lube—I gagged at the last item.

A quick spell would ensure that she would have all the symptoms of a hangover and if she was tested in any way, it would show that she had been up to everything it looked like she had, even Veriteserum and mind reading.

"Mess with me again, bitch, and I'll make sure everyone finds out about this," I whispered in her ear. Pausing in her doorway, I thought for a second and then flicked my wrist. Now she would have the symptoms of several STDs. No, I wasn't cruel enough to actually give her any.

On her desk, I saw that she had plans to restrict the werewolves even more. It was a good thing Bigglesdaff would accept Remus back unconditionally after the werewolf quit his teaching post. Umbitch had no idea how to tame a wolf. To cage one, yes, she had _that_ down to an art. But there's an enormous difference between trapping someone and falling in love.

I knew everything was going to come down sooner or later on Remus as far as Umbitch was concerned, but I could delay things just a little bit. 'Accidentally' I bumped tipped ink pot over, sending its contents all over the papers. She would think one of her cats had done it.

With a wicked smirk, I woke up her cats and left her house. Now, I had the ultimate blackmail. The bitch just didn't know it yet. And one of these days, I had a feeling I would have to use it.

Now, to Fudge's house. What could I do to him? It had to be completely different from anything I had done to Umbitch and I had to be extremely careful. He probably had Aurors cast his Wards so they weren't nearly as weak as Umbitch's, especially if Shacklebolt and Moody were involved. Not that anything like that would be a problem for me, but one careless step and I could possibly trigger an alarm.

Fudge was fast asleep. Funny enough, he and his wife had two different bedrooms. Even better. Now, there was much less of a risk of her getting any backlash from Fudge's problems and someone realizing that he'd been the object of a prank.

The man had a huge box of mixed candies on his nightstand and it appeared that he would eat a piece or two before going to sleep. Grinning madly I tapped them. Every time he would eat any, he'd have dreams of an evil, deranged Sirius Black laughing manically, waving a scythe over his head, as he chased after him. So, basically, it would be a combination of Bellatrix Lestrange and Grayback. I snickered at the image I conjured. There was no way Fudge would be getting a descent night's sleep now because I made it to where he wouldn't realize it was the candy that was giving him the nightmares. If he ate the candy during the day, he would have terrible daydreams.

For the next few weeks, whenever he saw a copy of _The Daily Prophet_, he'd see them flash the headlines he feared for twelve years—of someone discovering that he'd imprisoned an innocent man—before going back to normal. His reactions were going to be very interesting.

I also made it to where if he wasn't paying attention to the people around him, he would see the deranged Sirius Black from his dreams laughing at him from the crowd.

He'd also see Sirius Black sometimes when he looked in the mirror.

So, pretty much, I was tormenting him with Sirius so he'd think it was his guilty conscious trying to make him confess.

Then an idea occurred to me. I could go to the Ministry and Charm something there to whisper to him about how he imprisoned an innocent man and how much that man was suffering because of him.

Just for good measure, I gave him bad breath and a little bit of a belching problem that would last for at least a month.

The last house I would visit was Lockhart's. What I was going to do to him, I wasn't sure exactly, but I would make sure it was good.

Inside, I found that his house was even worse than his quarters at Hogwarts. He had pictures of himself everywhere. Medals and awards that he didn't deserve hung on all the walls. I could smell a woman in the house, so I stayed clear of his bedroom. Too bad, I was planning on wrecking havoc upstairs, but I wasn't going anywhere near that vile den with the lecherous little eel and his latest floozy in it.

Hmm, so much for being desperately in love with me. I wondered if he was planning on continuing this after he got me to marry him. It was a good thing I was only half human. That would work well in my favor if he did try anything else. All I had to do was make sure that Sirius Black was acquitted by then so he couldn't use my half-vampire status against me.

His tea things were left out, so I sprinkled some powder in them that would make him say the worst things at the most inappropriate moments—I could just picture him saying 'Fuck,' in front of a group of children.

In his food supplies, I put laxatives.

Across his favorite portrait of himself, I smeared makeup and prevented the picture from telling the truth as to who had done it so it would look like one of his women had been very careless. His trophies and medals started to tarnish and all of the other pictures started to fade.

There was a copy of _Magical Me_ with gold edged pages on the coffee table, so I spilled some brandy on it, distorting the picture. I made sure that it seeped through the pages so that it would take more than Lockhart's menial skill level to fix it.

A quick look into the mind of the woman he had in his bed told me that she thought she was the only one sleeping with him, so I decided to fix that little misunderstanding.

On the coffee table, I left a note that his girlfriend of the night couldn't possibly miss. It was bright red, and violent pink flashing hearts floated above it.

_Gildy,_

_I missed you last night. Perhaps we can arrange for tomorrow night or sometime later this week._

_Nadine_

I made sure that every woman who thought they were the only one in Lockhart's life received letters addressed to the wrong woman. Now, not only would he have to put up with Kitty screeching in his ear for leading her on, but also with every other woman he was sleeping with. He was going to have a very difficult time explaining that one away.

After so long on top, a spot he most definitely didn't deserve, his world was being taken apart piece by piece because he couldn't get over his obsession with me. One would think he would have gotten the hint and gave up on me, but no one who knew the truth about the man ever described Gilderoy Lockhart as the brightest bulb in the socket.

This was going to be interesting, that's for sure. I had just succeeded in messing up their lives, yet again. But did they deserve anything less? No.

Tomorrow was going to be entertaining indeed. I was going to have so much fun watching them. It was a good thing I had multi-cognitive thoughts because I would be keeping a close eye on all three of them at the same time.

Regulus looked up at me, "You did it, didn't you?"

"Did what?" I feigned innocence as I sprawled across the chair next to his in the library.

"What you threatened to do."

"I threatened to do a lot of things, so you'll have to clarify a little." I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I felt like being less than cooperative.

"You said you were going to make it look like Umbridge had three muggle gigolos over for the night. Did you?" Regulus looked a cross between disgusted and amused.

"The name's Umbitch, and yes, I did." I smirked at Regulus.

"What are you going to do now? Expose her?"

"No, not yet. The gigolo bit will just make her embarrassed for a bit, at least enough to keep her from doing anything stupid for a while. I'm saving the Big Reveal for when she does something else."

"You'd better not bring Remus into this at all. Poor guy's had enough problems without adding that to the list of things Fate had done to screw him over."

"Don't worry. Remus will not even be hinted at." Of course he wouldn't. I needed him to look as good as possible for Tonks.

"Let me know how it goes." Regulus stood up and headed to bed.

I snickered. People should know better than to mess with me. I wondered what everyone would have said if they learned that the fearsome Death Eater hunter E.C. liked to play pranks on people.


	44. Mischief Managed Once More

**Elizabeth**

I woke up a few minutes before Fudge would and stayed in bed to watch the show. Once they left their homes, I would go to the Ministry of Magic like I had when I messed with Umbitch and torment them a little more there.

As I thought about the things I had done, I began to consider exactly what they would suffer as a result.

Perhaps I was being cruel by playing pranks on these people, but then again, how else was justice going to be done? I was a half-vampire. As a result, I had to be a little more careful how I handled everything because I was caught between two worlds. In the Wizarding courts, things could go south quickly and with the Volturi, vampires took justice into their own hands as long as they remained inconspicuous. Making people suffer was my way of punishing them for their wrongs against me and the people closest to me.

They hurt other people and no one did anything about it. Fudge imprisoned an innocent man and tried to control a thirteen year old boy. Umbitch backed him up and then made life more than a little difficult for the werewolves for her own twisted agenda. Lockhart stole people's lives, claiming them as his, lied to everyone, hurting so many people in the process, and he was completely obsessed with me. Remembering everything those people had done to me and my friends, all feelings of guilt fled.

_Fudge climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom._

"_Ahh!" he screamed when he saw Sirius's face instead of his own. Blinking hard, he looked again and there was nothing but his own face. Fudge shook his head._

I waited until he came downstairs to continue watching him because I wasn't interested in seeing him doing his morning ritual. The best things would happen at the Ministry.

_Mrs. Fudge wasn't awake yet, so Fudge didn't stay around very long._

_Soon he was on his way to work._

"_Ugh, my head." Umbitch opened her eyes and stared around in horror. When she caught sight of the note, she looked positively ill._

"_I just hope Remus never finds out about this," she whispered. "I can't believe I did that. What was I thinking?"_

I skipped out quickly because I had no intention of watching her dress. Having to see only part of it was bad enough but this was just terrible.

_Lockhart's girlfriends all opened their mail from him with smiles on their faces, but when they saw the wrong names on the letters, they all flipped out._

_Kitty came downstairs wrapped in a bathrobe and caught sight of the note I'd left him and started shrieking in rage._

"_Who is Nadine?" _

"_I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Lockhart denied. _

"_Well, maybe __**this**__ will jog your memory!"Kitty shoved the note in his face._

_Lockhart went white, licking his lips as he tried to find some sort of explanation._

_The floo flared and woman after woman stepped through, until all eight were standing in his living room._

"_So it is true," one of them hissed. "You do have more than one woman. What are we, a distraction because whoever it was you wrote that blasted letter for didn't respond favorably?"_

"_I never want to see you again."_

"_I hope you rot in hell."_

_Every woman said something insulting to him and then left him alone._

_Lockhart slumped down into his seat and pulled out a photo. He touched it and said, "Oh, my love, I need you now more than ever."_

Who was he talking about? I changed my vantage point so that I was looking over his shoulder and, seeing the muggle photograph, I gasped in horror. It was of me the day I'd given The Troop their Parchments. He'd taken a picture of me when I was looking over my shoulder smiling at the twins. That evil, creepy, no good son of a bitch!

I shuddered at the thought of him having that picture for as long as he had. Getting that photo and destroying it was next on my to-do list. After that was done, I would be able to enjoy my handiwork, not before.

Standing up, I dressed quickly and headed for the floo.

"Going somewhere?" Regulus asked. He was leaning against the door frame with an apple in his hand.

"I've got some unfinished business to attend to," I snapped.

"You don't seem to be in a good mood, considering all the mischief you've been up to."

"I was in a very good mood until I found out that Lockhart has a picture of me."

"He what? How did he get it?"

"He apparently took it when I went to visit Harry and Hermione. That or he had Collin Creevey take it since he figured out how to take muggle photographs at Hogwarts. I'm going to get it and destroy it."

Regulus nodded and left me alone.

Umbitch had given Lockhart an office there because she thought that a great hero such as he deserved to have a place there so they could consult with him and he could work on his next great work of fiction at the same time.

I followed Lockhart to his office and slipped in behind him, ducking behind a curtain so he wouldn't see me. He sat down at his desk, the picture of me in front of him. Every so often he would touch it as if he was imagining touching me. A shudder passed through me at the thought of that freak's hands on me.

How was I going to get it away from him? I didn't want to touch him or even his clothes.

The floo flared right then so Lockhart put the photo into his pocket and went over to answer it.

It was Umbitch.

With a flick of my fingers, the photo slid cleanly out of his pocket. I caught it in a handkerchief and wrapped it up carefully so none of it would touch me or my clothes.

"Miss Umbridge?" Lockhart greeted as he knelt down in front of the flames.

"So, I was wondering if you've had any luck with catching your pretty sparrow." Umbitch sounded very flustered for some _extremely_ odd reason. I snickered. She was afraid someone would discover her misdeeds just by looking at her.

"She's no sparrow, Delores. She's a goddess. No other woman in the world can match up to Elizabeth Mason." Lockhart sighed. He seemed to have gotten over the fact that all eight of his girlfriends had dumped him just that morning. Was he that certain I would want to be with him?

I covered my mouth with my hand and gagged at that. _Take that shit elsewhere man, because I can't stand it._

"Very well, whatever."

"Since trying to force her hand with that petition for marriage didn't work, I'm going to try to find out where she lives and pay her a visit."

_Good, then I can have you for dinner._

"How are you going to do that? No one knows where she lives. I've tried to locate her ever since she revealed she was Harry Potter's guardian, but nothing comes up. It's like she's off the map somewhere."

"Her children and Snape have to know something."

"Severus Snape?"

"Yes. He's supposedly one of the closest friends Elizabeth has." Besides Regulus, he was the only friend I had that wasn't a child.

"Yes. I give you whatever authorization you need to find her."

It wouldn't work. Wainwright was Warded against being revealed. Veriteserum wouldn't even work.

"Thank you. What about you? Any luck with your wolf?" So they really were working together.

"No. I had something perfect planned, but I'm afraid it all fell apart. The moment I come up with something, someone always comes through for him or everything falls apart. It's like someone's conspiring against me. Oh, and he seems to have taken up with Moody's protégée, Nymphadora Tonks. But, I have a plan to take care of that."

She was planning on trying to destroy Tonks's reputation and I would ruin Umbitch's plans yet again.

Now, how to get out of here?

Lockhart's stomach growled right then and he stiffened. The laxatives were hard at work. "Excuse me. I have to go."

He ran out the door and I darted after him.

The moment I was sure he couldn't hear me, I started laughing. Laxatives can be a wonderful thing. Now that I had that photo, I was in a very good mood and was ready to continue with my business.

Since there was so much coming and going from Fudge's office, it would only be a matter of timing it right to get in and out. At my speed, I would merely appear to be a shadow passing through.

Shacklebolt was going inside and I made the door swing shut just a little slower so I could dart inside.

There, on Fudge's desk, was his favorite paperweight. I flicked my fingers and the Charm I had planned the night before was in place and would remain there until Sirius Black was freed. No one would be able to detect it though.

Right when Shacklebolt was in the middle of explaining some very important security measures, Fudge burped loudly.

"Excuse me, Minister. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm-**BURP**-fine."

Shacklebolt shook his head and after he was finished, left with me following close behind.

After that, I returned to Umbitch to find out exactly what she had planned in regards to Tonks.

I found the pink toad in her office, hard at work at conjuring a few spelled. As I listened, I realized what she was trying to do. She was trying to make it look like Tonks had been the one to have the 'sleepover' the night before. With a sharp flick of my fingers, I cast a few Charms around Tonks to prevent that from happening.

There were a few more spells I cast, just in case she tried anything else. Umbitch would not be able to influence anyone about anything as far as Nymphadora Tonks was concerned.

Feeling much better about everything, I headed home.


	45. No More Hiding

**Elizabeth**

It was spring and we were no closer to catching Peter Pettigrew than we had been when Sirius first escaped. I leaned back against my seat and tapped the end of my pencil against the paper on the desk in front of me.

_Go to the Whomping Willow!_ May cried urgently.

Without asking any questions, I stood up, fully dressed. I darted to the foyer and Apparated to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Peter Pettigrew was standing there, begging Harry. But before anything else could be done, Remus transformed into a werewolf.

Severus placed himself in front of Hermione, Draco, Harry, and…Ronald Weasley? What was he doing there?

With a snarl, I leaped in front of Remus. I didn't want to hurt him, but I wasn't about to let him hurt anyone. Remus's attention immediately turned from the humans to me and he bellowed. I hissed, my teeth bared. It had been years since I had fought a creature that could kill me, but I knew that this was a fight I had to win without killing Remus.

"Elizabeth!" Hermione shrieked.

Remus jumped at me and the fight began. He lunged and I dodged, trying to get close enough so I could knock him out with a punch because I didn't want to risk hurting anyone else in case I used a spell and missed. He wheeled, teeth snapping, and charged again. I jumped, kicking him in the shoulder. Remus whimpered, but refused to give up and leaped at me. After a vicious battle, Remus somehow managed to get behind me and sank his teeth into my left shoulder.

I screamed in pain and threw him off, knocking him unconscious with a spell.

"Get…him inside. Harry…your cloak. Sirius, hide." My shoulder felt like it was on fire and it was getting harder and harder to think around the pain. This must be what it was like to change into a vampire. "Severus, tell Dumbledore, Sirius…is…not…" I felt myself buckle, but instead of the ground catching me, a pair of cold arms cradled me gently. I looked up into scarlet eyes set in a devastatingly handsome face. The scent that washed over me was unfamiliar—sandalwood, sage, and woods in the rain—but comforting somehow.

"Shh. You're safe," a male vampire said softly as he brushed my hair out of my face.

The moment the words left his mouth, I slipped into unconsciousness.

I felt myself surfacing. My shoulder still throbbed, but not nearly as badly as it had been when I lost consciousness. I took a deep breath and smelled…vampires and most of them smelled very familiar. Damn it! They weren't supposed to find me just yet!

"Shit," I muttered as I tried to sit up. My clothes felt weird so I looked down and found that I was in a hospital gown. "No way." With a flick of my fingers, the hospital gown was replaced with my clothes. I ran my fingers through my hair and encountered curls. The last time I had curls was before I found Hermione. Pulling a lock of hair so I could see it, I found copper. "Oh, hell no!" I scrunched up my face and turned my hair dark blue and straight.

I tried to sit up again but my head swam. "So, this is what it's like to feel human. Humanity is totally overrated." I groaned and fell back onto the bed.

Someone chuckled outside. Only a vampire could have heard me so Carlisle was not alone.

"How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked.

"Like hell." I closed my eyes then opened them again. "What'd you do to me?" I winced when I moved my shoulder as I finally got to my feet.

"It's not what we did to you. It's what you did to you," Carlisle replied.

"What? Oh, yeah, that." Remus bit me. "How long was I out?"

"Fourteen hours. It's now about eight thirty in the morning."

Impulsively, I threw my arms around Carlisle's waist. It had been so long since I'd seen any members of my family that I just had to touch one of them.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and, after giving me a hug, said, "Everyone else is waiting for you outside."

"Who?" I raised an eyebrow.

Our family, Aro and some of his guards, as well as several humans," Carlisle answered.

"Okay." Sighing, I followed Carlisle out of the Hospital Wing.

The first person I saw was Nessie. Tears sprang into my eyes when I laid eyes on my twin.

"Elizabeth!" Nessie ran forward and hugged me. She was at least a foot taller than I was, but other than that and my hair and eyes, we were still identical in every way.

"I missed you," I whispered, "more than you know."

"Felix wasn't joking when he said you were tiny." Nessie grinned as she pulled away and looked at me.

Emmett walked over and reached out to ruffle my hair and I snapped my teeth at him, gaining several laughs.

"Hey, Eddie! Your kid just tried to bite me!"

Edward growled at Emmett.

"Okay, everyone, listen up! The next person who touches my hair without my express permission will lose a hand. This will be your only warning so please, at least attempt to remember that, Emmett." I raised my eyebrow at him.

"I take it you didn't miss me." Emmett pouted.

"I miss- you little brat."

"Elizabeth," a woman said softly and I turned around to face Bella.

"Mom." I darted across the room at top speed and flung myself into her arms. Another set of freezing arms wrapped themselves around me and my father's scent filled my nose. I found that I could no longer keep the tears from falling and they flowed down my face while sobs shook my shoulders. For the first time in so long, I was no longer alone.

"Why did you leave?" Jasper asked softly.

"I was trying to protect you."

"From what?" Esme asked; her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Me."

"She truly is her father's daughter," Rosalie remarked dryly. "Leaving because she thinks it's best for everyone."

"But it was. I'll tell you all about it later, when we don't have an audience." I glanced meaningfully at The Troop. Slowly, I pulled away from my parents and crossed the room to Harry and Hermione. "What you find out in this room must never go beyond this room." I met each of their gazes. "You can tell no one _anything_. Not even your families can know the truth about me. I will use magic to ensure your silence if necessary. As far as everyone else is concerned, they're merely my friends, not my family." Turning to my parents, I said, "Mom, Dad, allow me to introduce Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. I've raised Hermione since she was a year old and Harry since he was eight. Harry and Hermione, meet my parents, Edward and Isabella Cullen and my sister, Renesmee Black nee Cullen."

"Where did the name Masen come from?" Draco asked.

"That was my father's surname when he was human," I replied. "My name is Elizabeth Cullen."

Cedric's eyes went wide, "Elizabeth Cullen. E.C.! You're E.C.!"

I nodded ruefully.

"Who's E.C.?" Emmett asked.

"I killed Death Eaters by chopping off their heads with a sword." I said it more like a question. "Don't worry, I never hurt anyone who had a chance at salvation, only the ones who were so indoctrinated in the Dark Lord's mindset there was no hope for them."

"You didn't just chop off their heads! My father went to the first scene and said it was beyond grisly."

"Yeah, well that was all done post-mortem." I hated that my family was hearing about my wrongdoings, especially in this way.

"What did she do?" Carlisle pressed Draco.

"She chopped their bodies to pieces and shoved their heads on spikes. Then she wrote some twisted poetry in their blood. After that, though, everything calmed down. She'd still put their heads on pikes and write poetry, but their bodies were intact."

"It was right after that first attack that I found Hermione. Her parents had been killed by Grayback. I didn't fight him because I was afraid she'd been hurt. I should have killed him though. Oh, and I bit a human, killing him."

"You violated the treaty." Jake stepped up. His thick brows furrowed deeply.

"Uh, yeah, I did. And I'm not sorry. That bastard deserved far worse than I gave him after what he did."

Jake sighed, "We kinda suspected that you had after what Aro told us what Hermione told him."

"What did she say?" I glanced at Hermione and then looked back at Jake.

"She said that you told her that you violated a treaty with some powerful creatures but refused to go into any detail."

"What do you want to do?" I stuck my hands in my back pockets and looked at Jake, waiting.

"Every six months you are allowed to spend two weeks with your family. Other than that, I must ask that you stay away. You will be allowed electronic communication, of course and they will be allowed to visit you a few at a time every so often, but please, I'd rather not cause any problems and I have to uphold the treaty just as much as your family does."

I nodded once, "Better than I was hoping for."

"Now, about that werewolf," Emmett said.

I turned to him and snarled, "Leave him alone. That's the first time he's ever not done anything to try to counter the curse. Every other night, he either locks himself away or takes a potion so he can keep his mind."

Emmett pouted.

"How'd you find me anyways?"

"Hermione Granger came to us. She had something that belonged to you, carrying your scent, and I, in turn, sent it to the Cullens. Once we had determined that it was you, Felix tracked you down. He had just found you when you were attacked. He told me, and I contacted Carlisle." Aro smiled at me.

So that's what Hermione had been doing that day when she smelled like vampires. "Please tell me someone erased Ronald's memories of last night. The last thing we need is a loudmouth telling everyone about it. That would cause unnecessary problems for Remus and for me."

"Professor Snape did," Draco told me, "as soon as your vampire friend caught you. So he won't be talking to anyone."

"Good. What vampire friend?" I scanned the faces of the vampires around me.

"We told you, Felix found you," Nessie replied. "He brought you here."

"Hm." So it had been his eyes I had seen. Turning back to The Troop, I asked, "How's our mutual friend, the dog?"

"He's with Remus," Harry answered.

"Did you talk to Dumbledore?"

"Professor Snape told him that you had something very important to tell him concerning Sirius Black," Cedric replied.

"Good. What did you do to me anyways?" I looked at Carlisle and rolled my still painful shoulder.

"The only way we could think of counter werewolf venom was with vampire venom. The wolf bite was killing you anyways, so we figured we may as well try it. I'm afraid that as a result, you will have scars forever, unless of course, you are able to erase them."

"I'll think about that." I shrugged. Scars didn't matter to me.

"May I?" Aro stepped forward and held out his hand.

There was no way I was going to let him read my thoughts because of all the secrets I carried, but I would give the satisfaction of something interesting happening, so I took his hand. The moment my skin came into contact with his, he no longer looked petrified and his eyes cleared.

"Fascinating!" Aro pulled his hand away and stared at it then at me. "Absolutely intriguing!"

"Before you ask, I took care of your brothers and your mates as well. Don't let it happen again because next time, I'm not going to fix it." I glanced over at his guards and saw Jane, Demetri, and Felix. I nodded once in Felix's direction. "Now, if you will all excuse me, I've got some urgent business to take care of with the Headmaster." With that, I left the room and hurried to Dumbledore's office.


	46. A Step in the Right Direction

**Elizabeth**

On the way from the Hospital Wing to Dumbledore's office, I looked to see what had happened before I'd arrived at the Whomping Willow, just so I knew what to say.

"Headmaster," I said the moment I was standing in front of his desk. "Sirius may be innocent. Last night, I saw Peter Pettigrew and I am positive he's the one who betrayed James and Lily to the Dark Lord."

"You're sure?" Dumbledore stood up sharply.

I nodded once.

"Where is Sirius now?"

"Probably with Remus. It would be best if you take him directly to Madam Bones. She will listen to you and carries a lot of weight with everyone."

Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you."

I inclined my head and headed outside. By the edge of the Black Lake, I found Felix. The hulking vampire was scowling at the Black Lake.

"Did the water do something to offend you?" I snickered.

"You're looking better," he remarked.

"Thank you," I said as I stared out at the water. Something about this man set me off balance and I was trying to figure out what it was. It was like he was a magnet and I was metal and I couldn't stay away from him. What was this feeling and why him?

"For saying that you look better?" Felix raised an eyebrow. There was a definite smirk playing around his lips.

"No. For everything."

"All I did was get you help."

"I know. But still, thank you." I allowed myself to look at him full in the face for the first time since my brief acknowledgment outside the Hospital Wing.

"When Aro said you were very small, I didn't think just how small you were. While facing that werewolf, you seemed at least three feet taller. But when I held you in my arms, I realized that you are perhaps the tiniest woman I've ever seen."

"Hey, no cracks about my height." Something about him made me hyperaware of his every move, every word.

"I'm not making fun of you, Elizabeth."

His tone changed when he said my name and I looked at him sharply. The tension I was feeling earlier skyrocketed and I was glad he didn't have Jasper's talent.

"You are unlike any woman I've ever met before and I've been around for more than two millennia." He sighed. "Go ahead, read my thoughts. I don't care."

"Why would I read them? I like hearing people tell me what they're thinking more. It makes me feel less intrusive."

Felix smiled slightly. "I'd like to get to know you better, Elizabeth Cullen. If you don't mind, that is."

I looked down and then back at him, trying very hard to suppress a grin. "No, I don't mind at all. But my family might. _You're_ going to have to deal with my father and uncles. After all, you know them better than I do." I shook my head and sighed a little. "That's sad, really."

"That _is_ sad," Felix chuckled.

"Hey, blame the Volturi. If you guys hadn't decided to flex your muscles when you did, the Romanians would not found out about me when they did. Though they might have later, but they wouldn't have been able to catch me then."

"What else were we supposed to think? We didn't know people like you and your sister could exist." Felix was determined to defend his coven, just like any loyal member would.

"Aro should know Carlisle better than to think Carlisle would allow someone to disobey the law like that!" I replied heatedly. "Yes, Carlisle may have let Edward get away with a little law breaking because everyone knew that sooner or later, my mother would become one of them. But to allow something that destroyed the lives of some of his closest friends, there's no chance. Carlisle's not that stupid or that callous. Aro should have double checked before bringing everyone out like that."

"You're probably right."

I snorted. "Probably nothing. Anyway, I didn't come down here to argue about the differences between our associates."

"Then why did you come?"

"You're the first person to ever have to carry me since I came to the Wizarding world."

"You want to thank me for not leaving any bruises?" Felix was teasing me.

"No. Thank you for looking out for me, I guess is what I'm trying to say." My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to make sense of what I was trying to say. "Everyone expects me to look out for them, but no one thinks I need to be taken care of once in a while. Everyone expects me to always be the strong one and they don't seem to realize that I'm not always so strong, that sometimes I have moments of weakness too."

Felix looked at me, his lips parting a little as if he was going to say something and he lowered his head just a little. I placed my hand on his arm, stepping closer to him, and his head came down just a little bit more.

"Elizabeth!" We both turned at the sound of someone calling my name. It was Hermione.

"I'd um; I'd better go see what she wants." Of all the stupid times to need me. Couldn't she have waited a little before interrupting my moment? I never interrupted her and Draco.

Felix followed me up to the castle.

"What is it?" I asked once we were about ten feet away.

"Professor Dumbledore wanted me to tell you that our stray dog will not be put down."

"Good." Sirius would be getting a trial, twelve years later than it should have been, but still. In this case at least better late than never.

"Who cares about some stupid stray?" Ronald wailed as he came limping into view. Good for Sirius! He tore the brat's leg up even though he didn't mean to. Too bad he didn't do a better job of it. "Scabbers is missing!"

_Well, I hate to break it to you kid, but your pet rat was a murderer in disguise._ I wanted to tell him that, but decided against it. Ronald was a loudmouth and would have blabbed it all over the place.

"Still?" Hermione sighed. "Weren't you complaining last week that Crookshanks ate him?" Crookshanks was the name of Hermione's very clever, but very ugly cat. He hated me when I was thirsty, but sort of tolerated me otherwise, at least he would remain in the same room with me.

"Actually, Hagrid found him and gave him to me last night and now he's run off again."

"Perhaps he didn't like you as an owner," Draco sneered as he grabbed Hermione's hand. Draco knew the truth because he'd been there, but he wasn't about to miss an opportunity to make fun of Ronald Weasley. "I know if I were an animal, I'd have run off years ago before putting up with you this long."

Ronald pulled out his wand and held it out. "Take it back!" Poor Ronald, he didn't stand a chance against Draco. Draco was a Veela, not a fully matured one, but a Veela nonetheless and with his mate in the area, he would probably flip out if Ronald actually started throwing curses around.

"Alright, that's enough." I stepped in. "Put your wand away before I break it."

"You wouldn't dare!" Ronald shouted.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Put the damn stick away now."

"I'd do what she says," Felix growled from where he was standing behind me.

Muttering under his breath, Ronald did as I told him to.

**Hermione**

Once Ronald left, Draco and I went for a walk down by the lake.

"Was it just me, or did Elizabeth seem to like that vampire?" Draco asked.

"I think she is starting to have feelings for him. Vampires mate forever, you know."

"I know. Poor Lockhart. He doesn't stand a chance," Draco snickered.

"He never stood a chance," I retorted as I kicked a small stone out of my way.

"Well, he thinks he does." Draco linked his fingers with mine and gave them a squeeze. "Just like Weaslebee thinks he has a chance with you."

"What?" I turned to look at Draco. "Where did you hear that?"

"Blaise and I overheard him bragging to Seamus and Thomas about how you and he were going to get married and all that once we graduate."

"I wouldn't marry him for anything!" I shuddered. His brothers sister were good friends, but Ronald, something went wrong when he was born.

"He can't understand why you're friends with Snakes."

"Because my foster brother is a Snake," I sighed, feeling more irritated than ever with Ronald. "So, you think I may have similar troubles with Ronald that Elizabeth has with Lockhart?"

"Probably. Maybe not as bad since vampires are made to attract humans, but still…" Draco shrugged. By this point we had stopped walking and were just staring out at the water.

"Lovely."

Draco wrapped an arm around me and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry. I won't let him get to you."

"I know." I wrapped both arms around his waist, burying my face in his shirt.


	47. Justice For Sirius

"Sirius, I know you view Harry as your responsibility, but after everything he has been through in his life, I don't think it would be right to uproot him just when everything's going good for him."

"But he's my godson!" Sirius shouted.

"Do you know how to take care of a boy who's been severely neglected and abused in every way possible?" I retorted. "Harry trusts me. If I send him to live with you, a part of him may start to think that I don't like him anymore."

"But-"

"Sirius." I cut him off and handed him the Magical medical report from Harry.

He read it, his eyes widening and face paling. After several minutes, he put the parchment down. "I didn't realize it was this bad."

"Harry will always suffer from what they did to him and sudden changes like this could cause him to relapse a lot and I've worked too hard to get him to where he is now to have that happen."

"You're right. I wouldn't know how to take care of him, but that doesn't mean I don't want to have anything to do with him."

It was Hermione he should be wanting to see and fighting for custody over, not Harry. Hermione was his friend's child, not Harry, but I couldn't tell him that. Maybe… "Sirius, perhaps you would like to visit sometimes. Call ahead, of course, but I'm sure Harry and Hermione both would enjoy having you come over."

"Yes, I would like that." Sirius nodded.

"I know it's not what you wanted, but Harry is very safe with me. It would take a pantheon of gods to break into Wainwright and very few of the Dark Lord's followers had any brains in their heads."

Sirius nodded and smiled a little.

"Don't know why you want to see her," the guard said as he left me alone with Bellatrix Lestrange.

"What do you want?" Bellatrix snarled.

"I want to know about Peter Pettigrew."

"What about him?" Her face contorted into an even angrier expression.

"I think it would be safe to assume you know that he is a Death Eater."

"The little rat led the Dark Lord to his demise and when I get out, I'm going to kill him."

"What did he do?"

"He convinced the Dark Lord that it would be perfectly safe for him to go, that no one would be there, that he would be clear to kill the Potter boy."

"Clearly he was mistaken."

She looked at me, her eyes sparkling with insane mirth. "You do know I'm going to get out, don't you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because you didn't say that I would rot in here for the rest of my life or something like that."

"While you're in here, you're safe from me. But when you do get out, you're fair game." The smile left her face and she shrank back just a little. "Now, when did Pettigrew join the Death Eaters?"

"I don't know before he graduated, I think, fifth year maybe. I was there when he was initiated, I remember that much."

"So he was a Death Eater even before the Dark Lord posed an actual threat to James and Lily."

"My cousin thought he was being so clever by switching Secret Keepers. That actually might have worked except he made a Death Eater his replacement." She laughed crazily. "Pettigrew only hung out with Sirius and his friends to keep from getting pranked. He liked the power offered by the Dark Lord more than he liked his friends."

"So, now the only way Pettigrew would have any friends was if he found the Dark Lord and brought him back."

"You know he's coming back!" Bellatrix looked at me, amazed. "Everyone else keeps saying that he's dead and gone, but I know he's not. You see," her voice dropped to a whisper, "_the Mark's not gone_."

She didn't know I knew that first hand, but there was no way I was going to clue her in.

"Now, if he really were dead, then the Mark would be gone."

"Then I look forward to its disappearance because then I can rest easy."

Bellatrix laughed again. "Yes, the only way Pettigrew would be accepted again was if he found a way to correct his mistake." She paused and chuckled. "Sirius set himself up by acting like a Black when they caught him. He acted just like me, laughing crazily and all that!"

"But you and I know that he is innocent of the crimes that put him here."

"Yes, so?"

"So, I will see to it that he is exonerated. Fortunately for society, there is no way you will ever be anything but a fugitive should you leave this place."

"When do you think the Dark Lord is coming back?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled through my nose. "Soon." She smiled so I decided to make her mad. "His followers are all getting up in years so he'd better come back before you're all depending on canes to get around and have to wear thick glasses to see." I laughed. "That wouldn't be very intimidating. Instead of Death Eaters, you would have to call yourselves Evil Old People."

"You think you're so clever, but when I get my wand, I'm going to Crusio you until you're worse off than the Longbottoms."

"Good luck with that. Anyone who's ever tried it regretted it. Thank you, Bellatrix. This is probably the single best thing you have ever done."

"What did I do?"

"You gave me actual verbal confirmation that Peter Pettigrew is the one responsible for James and Lily's deaths."

I knocked on the door and the guard opened it.

"Give Pettigrew my regards if you see him and tell him that I'm going to chop off his tail and choke him with it when I find him!" Bellatrix shouted after me.

"Describe for me, the events of the evening of October 31, 2007. Ladies and gentlemen, since he is under influence of Veriteserum, he will be unable to lie." It was two days later and I was standing in front of a court room that was standing room only where I was playing defense attorney for Sirius Black. My hair was black and sleek away from my face and I was wearing a black silk suit.

"All day, I knew something was wrong. Getting on towards evening, I was getting worried about my friends, so I went to check on Peter Pettigrew first, only to find that he was gone."

"Peter being the Secret Keeper, is that correct?"

"Yes. I thought that Voldemort-"

"He-who-must-not-be-named, please," Fudge whimpered.

I rolled my eyes at him and turned my back on the man.

"Voldemort," Sirius stressed, "would assume that I was the Secret Keeper and would come after me, leaving Pettigrew and James and Lily safe."

"Thank you for clearing that up. Continue."

"When I arrived at Pettigrew's hiding place, I found that he was already gone, so, fearing the worst, I went to James and Lily's hiding place only to find that Voldemort had already been there. I wasn't fast enough." A tear trickled down Sirius's cheek. "The house was already in ruins. So, I went to confront Pettigrew. The sneaky little bastard had hidden his wand behind his back. After cutting off his finger, he blew up the street and transformed into a rat. Since there were only muggles around, they never would have guessed what really happened. Pettigrew counted on that and I was left to take the fall."

"So, you're saying that Mr. Pettigrew was an unregistered animagus?"

"A rat, yes. Since no one knew that he was, I was forced to take the fall for the death of people who were more of a family to me than my own family."

"I suppose it would be safe to assume then that Mr. Pettigrew was a Deatheater."

"Yes. The little rat was actually a spy and told Voldemort where James and Lily were hiding."

"Did he have the Dark Mark?"

"I believe so, but I didn't see it."

"Mr. Black, for the sake of the court, would you please roll up both of your sleeves?"

Sirius rolled up the sleeve of his left arm and then his right. The skin that was revealed was Dark Mark free.

"Ladies and gentlemen, twelve years ago, a horrible miscarriage of justice was made and an innocent man spent the more than a decade in prison because you were too lazy to catch the real killer. Had you been more willing to think before acting, you would have seen that Sirius Black couldn't have possibly betrayed someone he regarded as his brother. From what I learned during my investigation of this case was that Peter Pettigrew was always on the outside looking in of their little group. James and Sirius were the biggest blokes in the school, so Pettigrew made sure to stay on their good side that way the pranks that Potter and Black pulled would not target him."

"Remus Lupin could have easily done it by that reasoning," Fudge said.

"Remus Lupin didn't force himself into the group like Pettigrew did. James and Sirius reached out to him. Remus had no friends, no one. So why would he turn on the only people to accept him for what he was instead of shun him for something he could not control? Sirius and Remus had everything to lose by losing James, Pettigrew had nothing really." Crossing to the desk where I had been sitting before it was my turn to speak, I pulled out a vial. "Two days ago, I went to see Bellatrix Lestrange. I think you would all be very interested in seeing that conversation." I poured the contents of the vial into a bowl of water and my memory floated in midair, large enough so everyone could see it.

"All in favor of releasing Sirius Black and restoring everything to him that is within our power to, raise your hand," Madam Bones said. Nearly every hand went up. "Any opposed." Fudge and Umbitch raised their hands. "Sirius Black, you are a free man. I'm sure that Shacklebolt would be happy to welcome you onto the force if you are willing to take your old position."

"Thank you, Madam Bones, but I think I'll take some time off," Sirius said. "After all, I still have some issues to resolve."

"Good luck then. This court is adjourned."

Elizabeth walked over to where The Troop was sitting.

"Can't believe you talked to her," Neville said.

"I had to talk to someone, Neville. I am sorry that it upset you, though. I had no intention of causing you any pain."

"I know."

A cold arm wrapped around my shoulders and I caught Demetri's scent. I turned towards him and he pressed a kiss to my lips.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"You didn't honestly expect me to stay away, now, did you?" He pulled me closer to him. "Don't worry about my control, _cara mia_," he whispered in my ear. "I've had plenty of practice the last two thousand years."

"So, talking to crazy people in prison and kicking werewolf ass," Emmett said loudly.

"Shut up, Emmett," I hissed. "The fewer people who know exactly what I inherited from my father, the better. Half-breeds are discriminated against around here."

"Sorry!" he whispered in an exaggerated fashion.

"No, you're not."

"Is anyone else here?"

"Nope, just me. Everyone else is trying to make up their minds about things."

"Like what?"

"Carlisle's thinking about getting a job in London," Emmett replied.

"Really? Muggle or Magical?"

"That's what the problem is: he can't decide. He's leaning towards Magical because he wouldn't have to hide what he is, but the normal people need him too, so…" Emmett shrugged. "And you know Alice can't see anything about it as long as he's so indecisive."

"Yeah. St. Mungo's could definitely use him and since he is Carlisle Cullen that would work to his advantage."

"That's one of the reasons he's been considering the Magical hospital. They've been after him to work for them."

"What he could do, is work in a Muggle hospital until he can't anymore because of his _age_ and then go to St. Mungo's."

"You know, that just might work."

I pulled out my cell and sent a quick text to Alice.

"Well, Rose is waiting for me, so I've got to go."

"Whipped!" I whispered.

Emmett threw a dirty look over his shoulder and left the court room.

"Anyone want ice cream?" I asked. At the children's enthusiastic response I said, "Then go ask your parents if I can take you to The Alley."

"I think I'll pass," Demetri said once they were gone.

"Obviously," I drawled.


	48. The World Cup

**Elizabeth**

"You can't be serious," I said flatly. Tonight was Sirius's night with Harry and, by I insistence, Hermione. Felix was working on something in South Africa, and the Cullens were working on getting themselves established in muggle London, so Severus and I were at a muggle pub discussing the latest events in the Wizarding world.

"Perfectly," Severus replied.

"Is this Fudge's idea of getting back into the people's good graces, by risking their best and brightest for a stupid game?"

"He feels he has to do something to make his stay in office memorable for anything besides imprisoning an innocent man and then fighting to keep him in prison even when he knew Sirius didn't belong there."

"I suppose he didn't want to seem weak."

"Yeah, well he should have known that once the shit hit the fan, which it was bound to do sooner or later, it was going to be a mess to clean up." I knocked back my drink and sighed.

"I think you're worried about more than just the competition itself." Severus waved for more drinks and a waitress placed two more shots on the table in front of us.

"The Dark Lord is coming back. I don't know when, but I do know that somehow, the Tri-Wizard Tournament has something to do with it."

"No one would believe you." Severus's fist tightened a little.

"I know, so I guess I'm stuck watching people knock themselves stupid just for a pretty cup and their name on a plaque while I try to keep them from dying."

"Did you get Marked?" Severus asked suddenly.

I scowled and spat out, "Not by choice. It was forced on me when I was a child. I never served him a day in my life."

"So, because he forced you to take the Mark, you decide to fight a one woman battle against him and his followers."

"Sounds about right."

"Don't tell anyone about the Tournament. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"Surprise," I scoffed and rolled my glass between my hands. "Wow. Congratulations, Fudge, you're quite possibly sending our young people to their dooms. And as a result, you've just placed yourself at the top of my list of idiots."

Severus gave a dry chuckle.

"Ah well, if someone does end up getting hurt, we can place the blame on you, Fudge." I glanced at the clock. "I'd better be getting back."

They left the pub together and walked together in silence to the nearest safe Apparition point.

"Tell Harry that I love him."

"Will do." I saluted and Apparated away.

"Elizabeth!" Harry grinned when he saw me. He, Hermione, and Sirius were playing Exploding Snap and having a great time, by all appearances.

"Wow, is it that late already?" Sirius stood up. "Well, I suppose I'd better be leaving now."

"Goodbye, Sirius," Hermione smiled.

"Goodbye, Hermione, and Harry." Sirius nodded to them both and headed for the floo room.

Once the floo flared, I asked, "So, how'd it go?"

"It went great!" Hermione said excitedly. "He told us all kinds of stories about the Marauders. They were a lot like we are, except we don't target just one person or House."

"Nor are you all members of the same House," I added.

"How do you think he'll react when he finds out that I'm not James's son?" Harry asked. "He doesn't like Dad at all."

"He probably won't be too happy, but why else do you think I have Hermione spend time with him too?"

"Because she's really his best friend's child," Harry said. "And you want him to get to know her."

"Exactly. Oh, Harry, your father told me to tell you that he loves you."

Harry smiled, as he always did when Severus told him that either in person or by message.

"Oh, and I've got a surprise for you. We have got box seats for the Quidditch World Cup."

"No way!" they jumped up.

"Yes way. I've also given one to Neville. The Weasleys are going to be sitting near us and Draco and Blaise are going to be there as well as Cedric."

"Cool!" Harry shouted.

"Thank you so much!" Hermione wrapped her arms around me. That girl had officially passed me up in height. No fair. "This is going to be amazing! Wait, what about Reg?"

"He's going, but he's not going to be sitting with us."

The day of the World Cup arrived and Harry and Hermione were up at the first sign of light, begging me to get going already.

"Hold up, you two. We leave when we leave, alright? The grounds don't open for another hour, alright?"

"But-"

"No."

Immediately, they started pacing the floor and looking at the clock.

I found it very difficult to keep from laughing at them, so I pretended to read a book.

Hermione caught my expression. "It's not funny!"

"Yes, it is." I lifted my book in front of my face so she couldn't see my smile.

Hermione crossed the room and tried to pull the book away from my face.

"That's just rude," I said as I lowered my book. "Keep this up and I'll make you wait an extra hour."

At once, she let go and back away because she knew I always carried through with my threats.

"Much better."

Finally, it was time to leave. Being as powerful as I was, I could Apparate with two people with no trouble.

Our tent was in the more expensive lots so we were surrounded by quite a few pretentious wizards.

"What is that Mudblood doing here?" one woman whispered to her friends and indicated Hermione.

"You mind saying that to my face?" I walked over to her and placed my hands on my hips.

"Why do you care what I call that girl?"

"Because I happen to be muggleborn too and I don't like it when people insult me or my friends. So keep your mouth shut, bitch." I couldn't help but grin at the expression of utter shock on the women's faces. "You know, some of the most powerful witches and wizards were muggleborns, including me." With one last taunting smile, I walked away.

"Harry! Hermione!" Neville called as he ran towards us.

"Neville!" both of his friends greeted him.

I led my charges to the box which just so happened to be right near the Minister's box. The three children could hardly sit still from their excitement.

I got the distinct impression that Neville wasn't much into Quidditch, but he was there because he was spending time with his friends.

"Harry, Hermione, and Neville," two nearly identical voices sang out.

"Hey!" they waved to the Weasley twins and Ginny.

"Hello, Elizabeth-" Fred started.

"You're looking beautiful as ever," George finished.

"Thank you kindly," I gave a little curtsy, holding an imaginary skirt as I dipped.

The rest of The Troop had arrived by this point so all of them were talking to each other and over each other.

"Alright, Elizabeth, who's going to win?" asked Fred.

"If I tell you, that would be cheating," I replied then a thought occurred to me. "Tell you what. If you guess right, I'll give you five hundred Galleons."

"What if we guess wrong?"

"Then you get nothing."

The twins put their heads together and started whispering about strategy, player skills, and what not.

"Alright, Elizabeth-" George started.

"Here's what we think-" Fred continued.

And together, "Ireland will win, but Krum will catch the Snitch."

"Okay, let's see how the game goes." I grinned because they had guessed correctly. "If you're correct, I'll give you the money directly after the game."

First the Irish came out with their leprechauns and wowed the crowd with their stunts.

But Bulgaria wasn't to be outdone. Their Veela dancers attracted more than enough attention for them and more than one man got slapped by his wife for staring too much.

Draco started snickering at one point and I looked to see what he thought was so funny. Immediately, I covered my mouth with my hand and tried hard not to laugh at Ronald's dazed expression. His mouth was hanging open and a little bit of drool was forming at the corner of his lip.

"Fred!" Hermione hissed, "Grab him before he jumps."

Fred moved just in time to catch Ronald before he tried to climb over the rail to get to the Veelas.

"Come on, Ronnikins!" George muttered as they pinned him to his seat.

"But I have to get to them!" Ronald complained.

Finally, to keep the Weasleys from suffering any more embarrassment from Ronald, I wiggled my fingers, sending Ronald into a sort of catatonic state so he wouldn't keep fighting. He relaxed against his seat, staring at the dancers.

"Thanks," Ginny said gratefully.

Felix chose that moment to make his appearance and he walked gracefully to my side. Ginny stared at him for a second, but turned her gaze to Harry.

"Hey," I smiled and intertwined our fingers.

"Hey yourself." He kissed my fingers, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips.

"How was South Africa?"

"Sunny, boring days, business as usual at night."

"Hmm, so did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes, an out of control newborn who refused to understand the meaning of the word _restraint_."

We took our seats as the Minister released the Snitch.

"Sorry I'm late," Lockhart's voice reached my ears and I growled softly.

"Easy, tiger. We don't need a bloodbath," Felix whispered in my ear, "especially since I'm in the Guard."

"Elizabeth, imagine seeing you here!" Lockhart greeted me.

"Who are you?" Felix asked smoothly. Only someone like me could have picked up on the subtle anger in his voice. His hulking frame was intimidating, especially in comparison to Lockhart.

"I am Gilderoy Lockhart, surely you've heard of me." Lockhart seemed truly shocked that there was anyone in the Wizarding World who did not know his name.

"No, I can't say that I have." Felix lied as I had complained about that jackass enough.

"My books are sold in practically every bookstore."

"I'm afraid I'm not much of a fiction reader." He tightened his grip on my hand to keep me from laughing.

"Fiction?" Lockhart squeaked. "I will have you know that I write the absolute truth! My books are all about my heroic deeds all around the world."

"Hm, no, still not ringing a bell."

"Elizabeth, who is this?"

"My boyfriend, Felix," I replied.

"Boyfriend?" Lockhart shrilled.

"Yes, boyfriend. I've been seeing him since just before the children came home for summer vacation."

"Where are you from?" Lockhart asked.

"Italy. I've lived there most of my life."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I hunt down and destroy degenerate vampires as well as werewolves who can't keep their teeth to themselves."

"So, how long have you been doing this?" Lockhart seemed to deflate even more since Felix was someone who actually did the things he claimed to have done.

"It's a family business so I've been doing it since I was very young."

"You sound like the mafia with that whole 'family business' thing," I muttered under my breath.

"And the Cullens are any better," Felix retorted just as quietly.

I grinned a little.

"Perhaps you would like to swap stories," Lockhart brightened.

"That's Lockhart for 'I want you to tell me your stories so I can claim them and wipe your memory,'" I hissed.

"It's just a job," Felix shrugged and turned his attention back to the game.

I leaned my cheek against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer. We were fire and ice, but we were not destroying each other. We must have made an odd pair, with him being close to two feet taller than I was and muscular.

**Draco**

Even though I knew Elizabeth's boyfriend wouldn't attack, his presence still set my teeth on edge. According to my father, my reaction was because Felix was a vampire. Father also told me that Elizabeth made him feel the same way.

Hermione caught me looking at Felix and placed her hand on my leg.

"Calm down. He's not going to hurt anyone."

"Can't help it. He's a vampire around you. That's enough to make any self-respecting member of my species freak out."

"It'll be okay."

"What if he thinks you smell especially good?" I replied.

"Then Elizabeth will stop him. She might be only half, but she's got abilities no one else has." She caught my fist between both of her hands and uncurled my tightly clinched fingers. Her touch was soothing because as long as she was okay, then my instincts to protect were not nearly as strong.

After several minutes, I was able to turn my full attention to the game and all but forget the vampire sitting only a few feet away.

eet away.


	49. Return of the Dark Mark

**Elizabeth**

Something was happening, something sinister. I could feel it. A peek into the future told me that Barty Crouch Jr. was not quite as dead as everyone believed and that he was setting things up for the Dark Lord to return.

My muscles coiled in automatic response to sensing Barty Jr. sitting right behind Harry.

_Don't step in._

I wanted to rip May apart, but since she was already dead, it wouldn't do much good. This was my surrogate family being threatened. How could she tell me not to do anything?

_You know what will happen. Things will keep getting worse until he comes back._

_Oh, and things will get so much better after the Dark Lord comes back to kill all the muggleborns._

"What's wrong?" Felix whispered against my temple.

"Something's going to happen tonight and I can't do anything about it."

"Why not?"

"If I stop this, something much worse will happen. It's the kind of Catch 22 that makes me hate humans."

Felix cupped my cheek with one hand, "Look at me."

Slowly, I looked up into his ruby eyes.

"I know you don't want this to happen, but there will be times when not even you can change fate. It sounds to me like this man will keep trying to come back. So let him. Let him come back and then kill him and anyone who has pledged loyalty to him."

"Anyone who can't be saved," I corrected.

"Whatever works for you." His thumb caressed my cheek. "You're the most powerful being alive. I think you should be able to take on a wizard trying to become immortal."

"He's not trying to be. He is."

"Find a way to kill him."

"I already know how to kill him. It's just a matter of finding the objects keeping him alive or in limbo, which are damned difficult for me to locate."

Felix brushed his hand against my hair. "Patience."

"But it frustrates me," I pouted.

"How do you think I felt waiting for you?" he whispered against my lips. "I waited over two thousand years for you."

"That's a long time."

"Yes it is. No, I wasn't celibate during that time, but I wanted a mate, not just a lover."

"Do not remind me of your dalliances, or I may feel the need to deal with them."

"Why?" Felix chuckled, "Because you're trying to respect your father's wishes and wait and that's what you're really upset about? You're frustrated sexually and so you'll vent your frustrations out on women who don't deserve your wrath?"

"Shut up," I scowled at him, but couldn't keep that expression on my face for very long before I started laughing.

"I think your father will understand if you decide to be more of a traditionalist and forgo marriage."

"I thought marriage was being traditionalist." I cocked my head at him.

"Not for people like us."

"Well, I'm not exactly traditional, am I?"

"No, but I think he'll understand seeing as how _I_ am a traditionalist."

"You just want to get into my bed."

Felix didn't deny it. Instead, his lips quirked just a little.

"I knew it."

"So, are you?"

"Am I what?" I looked at Felix, slightly confused by what he was saying.

"Are you going to forgo human tradition seeing as how neither of us is human?"

"I'll-I'll have to think about that." Sleeping with Felix, well not sleeping exactly, but having him in my bed, making love with him, was I ready for it? A part of me longed to connect to him on that level, but another part was terrified of letting someone get that close to me, of letting myself be so vulnerable. I knew I could trust him, for though he was a member of the Volturi Guard, he was also my mate.

"Ew!"

Felix and I turned our heads to see Ginny Weasley looking at Ronald who had a pair of binoculars up to his face and was laughing about something.

"Ron, that is disgusting!" she complained.

"Look, he's picking his nose again," Ronald said as he looked through the binoculars. "I can make him pick his nose over and over again."

"That is so immature," Hermione muttered.

"Don't worry-" Fred started.

"We're not related to him," George finished.

**Lockhart**

Seeing Elizabeth with her boyfriend made me angry. He wasn't nearly as handsome, sexy, or charming as I was, so what did she see in him? Harry and Hermione seemed to avoid him, but they loved me and any woman would want what was best for their children.

It was obvious that she was not at all comfortable with him. Why was she with him then? Was it because of the girlfriends I had had while I was courting her? Was she trying to get back at me? I would apologize on bended knee if necessary, but I didn't want her to be miserable. Maybe it started out as something to make me jealous, but he wasn't letting her go. That had to be it. There was no way she would leave me for him.

Ideas started bouncing around my head about how to get rid of the competition. Come to think of it, this man wasn't much of competition. She wanted me, clearly, so this would be a rescue mission.

I was best with erasing memories so maybe I could erase his memories of her that way he would leave her alone.

At that thought, my plan fell together quite easily. After the game, I would invite him over to my tent to talk about the game and there, I would make my move. Elizabeth was mine and mine alone. She didn't need this idiot making her life miserable.

Feeling so much better, I returned my attention to the game.

**Elizabeth**

Hearing Lockhart's thoughts, it made it difficult to keep a straight face. He actually thought I was unhappy with Felix! Of all the nerve!

"What's so funny?" Felix asked when he caught my expression.

"Lockhart." I curled up onto Felix's lap and proceeded to explain what Lockhart had been thinking.

"Harry and Hermione avoid me so they don't get their throats ripped out," Felix remarked after he finished laughing. "I may not be hunting when I'm around them, but the slightest bit of fresh blood could send me into a full on frenzy and they know this."

"We can't have that now, can we?" I murmured as I kissed his chin.

"No." He smiled down at me and brushed his knuckles against my cheek.

"Do I seem unhappy to you?"

"Only about the near future in regards to that bastard who dared try to set himself up as your master. Other than that, no, you seem happy. I doubt your family would allow me to live if I was making you unhappy, especially Jasper and Edward. They would know if there was something wrong and they would kill me. You might not be allowed to live with them because you violated that treaty, but you're still their family." He chuckled once.

"What?"

"What I wouldn't give to know what he is thinking right now," Felix sighed.

I focused on Lockhart. "He's crazy jealous right now and thinks you've cast the _Imperious_ on me."

"_Imperious_?" Felix's eyebrows shot up.

"Yes, you know, the one who makes a person do whatever it is that you want them to?"

"I can't do magic. Even if I could, I wouldn't make you kiss me."

"No?"

"No. I would make Lockhart do something incredibly…stupid." He peeked at me from the corner of his eye.

"I can imagine," I said dryly as I turned my attention back to the game.

Bulgaria was losing soundly, but Krum was still playing strong and about three hours into the match, he caught the Snitch.

The Weasley twins jumped up and started whooping.

I pulled the bag of coins out of my pocket and walked over to them.

"Here," I said as I dropped it into their hands. "Nice call."

The twins looked at each other and grinned.

"I have given you your starting capital. Don't waste it."

They ran off, shouting as they went.

"Come on, you two. Time for all good children to be in bed." I placed one hand on Harry's shoulder and the other on Hermione's. The air practically crackled with Dark Magic and the vampire in me hissed and recoiled from it. Felix was unusually tense beside me.

"Goodnight!" Hermione called as Harry waved. Together, the four of us made our way to the tent.

Once the children were in bed, Felix started kissing my neck, but I pushed him away.

"Not tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because, something is going to happen tonight and I'd rather not be caught in a compromising position when it does." I placed my hand on his abdomen and rested my forehead against his chest.

"Just because something's going to happen doesn't mean that I can't kiss you," Felix said as he pulled me up and kissed my lips slowly.

Someone stopped outside the tent. "Hello?" It was Lockhart.

"I hate wizards," Felix growled. "They always seem to catch us at the wrong time."

I giggled as he set me down on the floor.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Felix asked as he opened the flap part of the way.

"Yes, I was wondering if you would like to come down to my tent. We can swap stories, share a whiskey."

"No thank you, I don't drink alcohol." Felix replied smoothly.

"Still, we can swap stories," Lockhart sounded particularly desperate and I snickered.

"No. I think I'll stay here. Elizabeth has invited me to spend the night, so that is what I intend to do." Demetri let the flap drop and crossed the room over to me.

"You made it sound rather naughty," I said as he started kissing me again.

"Of course I did. What else did you expect from me?"

Smoke and screams carried on the wind and I jerked towards the scent and sound.

"I suppose it's started then," Felix remarked as he put me down.

"I suppose it has. You'd better get out of here before you catch fire."

"You'll be alright on your own?"

"Yes. Go."

"Harry! Hermione! Time to go!"

They hadn't been asleep or even dressed for bed so they were ready to go almost immediately.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked as they followed me through the camp.

"Death Eaters decided they were bored with normalcy," I said.

A sharp snap of Dark Magic caused me to look up at the Dark Mark that now hung in the sky. My Mark burned briefly and I snarled under my breath. It had begun.

"Harry, where's your wand?" I asked.

He fumbled around in his pockets for a moment. "It's not here," he said, his brow furrowed.

I closed my eyes and sought out the missing wand and darted away. An unconscious House Elf was clutching it in her hands. I carefully pried it loose before running back to the children and handing it to Harry.

The rest of The Troop had joined us by this time and I led them out of the mess.

I sighed as I leaned back in my chair in the library of Wainwright. Jasper was sitting across from me, his hands steepled in front of him.

"This was why you ran away," he said softly.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I didn't want you getting mixed up in this mess because you'd already had enough on your plate to begin with.

He started chuckling.

"What's so funny?" I snapped.

"You and Felix. I can tell you that Edward's not impressed."

"I don't really care. He has no right to tell me who to be with. After all, he fell in love with lunch."

Jasper's lips quirked, "Don't let him hear you say that."

"If he makes me angry enough, I'll say it." I scowled at my folded hands.

"You are so much like he is, but then again, you're not."

"Jazz, do you think I'm an idiot for being with Felix?" I looked up at him before returning my gaze to my hands. "Or are we just fooling ourselves?"

"He makes you happy and he truly does love you, so I think you are just psyching yourself out by second guessing yourself. Now, if he were only using you, then I would be the first in line to kill him."

"He did say something to that affect."

"Simply because your families might not be on the best of terms, it's no reason for you to be unhappy."

"Like fucking Romeo and Juliet." I scowled again.

"Don't even consider suicide," Jasper joked.

I pulled a face at him. "I may be a lot like my father, but I'm not _that_ much like him." He knew I was referring to Edward's misguided attempt that brought my mother to the Volturi's attention in the first place.

"All you need now is Paris."

"I've got a Paris, but he's not someone Edward would approve of."

"Who? That moron writer?" Jasper asked.

"Yep. He's been chasing me for about two years now."

"You want me to do something about it?"

"You're never around when he is, but perhaps once this war is over and when I can focus my attentions on more trivial things, I'll come up with a plan that involves you." The image of Lockhart double over throwing up because of Jasper caused me to smile a little.

"Are you certain it will come to war?"

"It's been brewing since the Dark Lord was defeated the first time. All he was doing was waiting for the opportune moment and Fudge gave it to him. I can do nothing because I am only able to move so fast because if I make one wrong step, then the future spirals out of control." I looked down at my bare left arm and the darkening Mark there. "Suddenly I'm afraid."

"Lizzie," Jasper crossed the room and hugged me close. "You're the closest thing I'll ever have to a daughter and I swear to you I will do everything in my power to protect you."

I clung to my uncle for a long moment as the tears slipped from my eyes.

"Believe me when I say, you are not as alone as you think," Jasper said as he released me. "You no longer have to fight alone."


	50. Darkness Rising

**Elizabeth**

It had been several days since the World Cup and Dark Magic practically crackled in the air everywhere I went, making it difficult for me to eat or sleep unless I put up the strongest wards ever around the table and my bed.

"You know something," Felix said as we walked through the shadows of Diagon Alley, "for us to be so dark, we certainly don't get along very well with Dark Magic."

"Vladimir and Stefan certainly didn't seem to have any trouble with it," I reminded him.

"That's because they're so bent on revenge they would have put up with eating nothing but those ridiculous Blood Pops for eternity if they thought it would help."

I wrinkled my nose at the thought, causing Felix to laugh. The musical sound caught the attention of the people around us and several women turned to look at him, obvious appraisal in their eyes.

"You're too damn cute," Felix said as he tapped my nose with his finger.

"Isn't that the woman Lockhart keeps chasing?" one woman whispered to her friend as he took my hand in his.

"Yes, I believe it is. What is it about her that attracts all these gorgeous guys?" the other woman responded "I mean, yes, she is beautiful, but is that the only reason?"

"I'm not as beautiful as Heidi or Rosalie," I murmured to Felix. He raised his eyebrows. "Look at me from a clinical point of view if you can. Both of them are tall, with long legs and gorgeous faces. I'm tiny and almost average looking compared to them."

Felix raised our joined hands to his lips and kissed my fingertips. "I suppose that they would be considered beautiful, yes, but you have blood in your veins that puts a natural glow in your cheeks; and your eyes are so stunning, especially in a world of red, black, and gold. When you spread everything out and compare them to you, you have attributes I wouldn't trade anything for." He looked at me from under his lashes, "Have you thought about our conversation at the World Cup?"

"I have thought of little else," I admitted.

His fingers trailed down my cheek, "So what have-"

"Elizabeth!" Hermione called, preventing me from having to answer. There she went again with her impeccable timing. What did she do, wait for us to be in an intense conversation then pounce?

Draco kept pace with her quite easily as she hurried towards us. He seemed very stiff, but that was understandable. Any self-respecting Veela with his mate in the vicinity would be tense around vampires, especially a red-eyed one.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's Lockhart. He won't leave Harry alone."

Immediately I headed towards the shop where Harry was. I warned Lockhart what would happen should he harass Harry. But then again, this idiot couldn't take a hint. Even me telling him to his face about how much I hated him and then waltzing around with Felix didn't deter him.

"He keeps trying to convince Harry to tell you that he doesn't like Felix."

"What's the point of that?" I asked. For all my abilities, that moron really baffled me.

"He apparently is trying to persuade Harry to try to get you and Felix to break up."

I sighed heavily and shook my head, my heels against the stones the only sound I made for several long seconds. "Even if the two of you didn't like Felix, I would still be with him. I wouldn't force him down your throat or anything like that, but still."

"I know," Hermione replied as the store doorbell clanged behind me.

"Lockhart!" I shouted when I caught sight of him towering over Harry.

"Ah, Elizabeth," he smiled broadly at me, but his smile quickly faded when he caught sight of Felix.

"You will call me Miss Masen, am I clear?" I snarled as Felix wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his icy body. His freezing breath fanned through my hair. "You will also leave my children alone. They cannot and do not influence my decisions. So, if they tried to convince me to leave Felix, it would be unsuccessful. The sooner you realize that, the better."

"But any mother would care about what her children wanted!"

"I've sacrificed my entire life to helping other people, so I think I'm entitled to a little selfish behavior once in a while." I snorted. "Just so you know, Harry and Hermione like Felix well enough. They just don't feel like spending much time with him when their friends are around." _For one main reason, Draco was a Veela and being around Felix made him very uncomfortable._ I didn't say anything about that though because I respected his privacy and the secrecy of his kind.

Lockhart seemed to deflate a little and I walked away, Felix holding my hand once more.

Once out on the street, I caught sight of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. They were walking side by side and he was holding a few packages that I highly doubted he would have purchased on his own.

"That's the werewolf," Felix hissed, tensing.

"Leave him alone," I caught his arm. "You promised you would leave him alone."

"But-"

"Felix, please. If anyone should be angry at him because I'm the one he attacked, it's me and I'm not mad."

"You should be. I know I would be."

"That was only the second time since he was bitten at the age of five that he's even come remotely close to attacking anyone and I'm the only one he ever bit. So, do me a favor and leave him alone." While we were talking, the other couple had crossed the street and came towards us."

"Hi," Tonks smiled brightly at us. Remus stood at her side, his hand on her elbow, eyes wary.

"Hello," I replied. Felix remained still and silent, watching Lupin through narrowed eyes.

"Miss Masen, I'd like to apologize for my actions earlier this year," Lupin said. "If I'd taken that potion like I was supposed to, it would never have happened."

"It's already forgiven." I held up my hand. "I'm just glad it was me and not someone else for whom there was no cure."

"So, no hard feelings?"

"None at all."

Felix snorted at that and I stomped on his foot. It wouldn't hurt him, but it made me feel better.

"How is Harry, by the way?"

"He's doing very well. Only once in a while, something will happen that makes him react negatively, but those episodes are becoming scarcer. No, he will never fully recover, but he's a very strong individual."

"Like his mother," Remus said softly. "Lily would do anything to keep him safe."

"I know." _She would rather have a vampire Death Eater raise her son than those monsters._ "Lily was truly a remarkable woman."

"Give my best to both Harry and Hermione. Tell them I'm going to miss teaching them and their crazy friends." He smiled at that last bit.

"I will."

"We'd better be going," Felix said as he cast a glance at the sky. The sun would soon be hitting where he was and that would give away his inhumanity right away.

"Yes, we should," I agreed. "Have a nice day."

"You too," Tonks waved and we went our separate ways.

The moment we set foot in the foyer, my cell phone vibrated and I pulled it out. It was a message from Jasper

_Meet me now. You'll see where._

"What is it?" Felix asked.

"Jazz wants me to meet him now. I have to go. I'll be back as soon as possible." I kissed Felix on the lips before turning to the children. "Behave and make sure you are ready to meet the express in the morning. I would hate to have to take you to school because you missed the train." With that, I Apparated away.

Jasper was sitting in an abandoned theater, waiting for me.

"Jazz, what's going on?" I asked as I sat down beside him.

"I'm worried about you."

"Why?"

"Because of all that's happening. Alice can see the future too, you know." For the first time since I'd known him, he looked truly afraid. "Simply because she can't see you, does not mean she's not aware of what's coming." He looked at me, his dark eyes earnest. "Don't be afraid to contact any of us, alright? No matter what, if you're in any kind of trouble, just call us. We'll do everything we can to help you."

"I know, Jazz." I placed my hand on his arm. "I know I can count on my family no matter what."

"I don't care what Jake says. He said it mostly to keep the La Push pack off is case anyways. If you ever need anything at all, we'll be there."

"What did Alice see that has you so worried?"

"People being murdered, tortured, screaming for you to help them. One of them was that girl, Hermione."

I felt a little sick at the thought of Hermione being hurt. "What happens to her?"

"She was bleeding and some crazy woman was carving something into her arm."

"Bellatrix Lestrange." Somehow that little bitch fit into the picture Jasper was painting. "I suppose I could kill her now, but that might bring about a worse future. Did Alice see anything else? I don't think you would be so worried if she didn't."

"A fire…with…with thick, purple smoke. She couldn't see who was burning, just the smoke," Jasper's voice had dropped to a whisper. "You know she can't see hybrids."

"And she thinks it might be me?"

He looked at me but said nothing. His black eyes answered for him.

"Don't worry. I won't die."

"You'd better not." He pulled me into a fierce hug. "We just got you back. It would destroy our whole family if you died."

I looked to the future to see if I could find out something about this burning hybrid.

All I could see was thick, swirling clouds in what looked like the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but I couldn't tell who it was that was on fire. Was it truly me?

"I'll be fine, Jazz. I promise."

"You'd better be," Jazz said in almost a growl. "I told Alice I'd be gone for only ten minutes. I'd better leave right now if I hope to keep that promise."

"Bye, Jazz and don't worry. I'll be okay."

He nodded and smiled before darting away.

I remained in the theater for several hours, thinking about what I had seen. Was I truly going to die?

"Elizabeth," Felix said as he sat down beside me. "_Cara_, what is it? Why are you crying?"

It was then that I realized tears were falling down my face. I shook my head.

"Tell me, love, what happened?"

"I want to forget." I looked at him. "Make me forget, please."


	51. Touched For The Very First Time

**Lemon. Don't like don't read. It's not too long and not extremely descriptive but still. Oh, and the title is from Madonna's 'Like a Virgin.'**

**Elizabeth**

The second my bedroom door shut behind us, Felix scooped me in his arms and raced over to the bed. Sitting down on the edge, he placed me on my feet in front of him before pulling my face to his, the intent obvious in his eyes. But I wasn't about to object. For just a little while at least, I wanted to forget what I had seen.

"You're thinking too much," Felix whispered against my lips as his hands moved to the hem of my shirt. Without a single tear, he pulled it swiftly over my head and threw it behind him. Since I wasn't wearing a bra, I was completely bare from the waist up.

With a little wave of my hand, my boots joined my shirt and Felix's lips pulled into a small smile before pulling my face to his and kissing me once more. His tongue teased my lips and slowly, I parted them, giving him access to my mouth as he slid his hands up my sides.

I jumped just a little as his cold hands came into contact with my skin for the first time and the feeling sent a jolt of arousal straight down to my pelvic area.

"You're so warm," he said, a hint of awe in his voice and he cupped my breasts, caressing them. In the next instant, his icy mouth suckled one nipple into his mouth while he played with the other one between his fingers.

"Felix," I gasped, arching slightly. My reaction only doubled his ardor and he switched his mouth to my other breast.

With one last kiss planted to the valley between my breasts, he looked up at me, desire obvious in his eyes.

"You're wearing too many clothes," I muttered as I pushed him back against the bed and falling against him. The sensation of my bare breasts against his frigid chest was doing strange things to my brain, causing me to say and do things that were completely out of character for me and the space between my legs was feeling increasingly empty.

"Care to do something about that?" he chuckled as he kissed my neck.

Catching his earlobe in my mouth, I removed his jacket, shirt, and shoes using magic.

Felix shifted and rolled us so that we were lying in the center of the bed and I was on top of him again.

Sitting up, I ran my hands over his pecs and down his chest. A few scars were scattered across his shoulders and upper arms so I leaned down and ran my tongue over them, surprising myself a little with how bold I was being.

Felix moaned softly and his eyes closed.

My exploration took me a little lower to his stomach and I shifted, straddling his hips. My movements brought me in direct contact with the steadily growing bulge in his pants and I looked up at him, biting my lip.

"You're blushing," Felix whispered as he cupped my face with one hand, his thumb against my chin and his fingers resting against my neck. Sitting up, he drew me close to him and our lips met in a slow kiss.

"I still think you're wearing too many clothes," I said when he pulled away.

"I'm wearing exactly as many clothes as you are."

"Then we're both wearing too many." I looked down for a second before meeting Felix's gaze again. In the blink of an eye, we were both completely naked.

"Touch me," Felix said as he guided my hands down to his arousal.

Hesitantly, I ran my hands down his penis, a part of me wondering how he was going to fit. I was very small after all.

His large hand moved down my side to my thigh and on to my foot. With deliberate slowness, he switched our positions so that he was the one on top, but only his top half was pressing against me.

After a few seconds, he drew my lower half to his so that his arousal was pressing against me.

My eyes widened just a little when the wet tip came into contact with my stomach.

When he saw my reaction, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm better than okay." I didn't care what he thought or what he was used to, I needed him. Right then, foreplay was so overrated. So, I hooked one of my legs around his waist and pulled him closer.

"Are you sure?" his voice was strained.

"Positive." I hadn't come this far just to back out at the last second.

He moved so that he was lying completely on top of me, sliding one leg between mine as he did so. Swallowing back the fear that suddenly decided to rear its stupid head, I wrapped my other leg around his waist.

Closing his eyes, he started slowly thrusting into me.

It hurt like hell! But he allowed my body to accommodate him before he continued.

Once the pain faded, I whispered, "It's okay now."

Pulling out almost completely, he thrust back in, guiding my hips to meet his.

For what could have been just a few minutes, or several hours, we continued to move together, our moans and our bodies against each other the only sounds registering in my addled brain. I did notice that every time he pulled out, he pushed in that much faster, but I didn't mind. In fact, the faster he moved the better it felt.

"Felix!" I moaned as the coil inside me started to tighten. My nails clawed against the stone of his back. "Please!"

He lifted me just a little so he was driving into me at a new angle. The cliff I could feel coming was now right under my feet and I could feel myself teetering.

"Come for me, _cara_," he whispered against my lips.

With a cry of, "Felix!" I soared, riding the waves of pleasure.

When I came down again, Felix opened his eyes and looked at me, a smile playing around the corner of his lip.

I bit my lip as doubts suddenly started parading through my mind. He had had many lovers. I certainly couldn't compare to some of the women he had been with.

"What's with the look?" he asked.

"What look?"

"The look that says you're over thinking something again."

"I-" I looked down, unable to find a way to voice what I was feeling.

"You what?" He tipped my face to his.

"I guess I'm feeling a little insecure."

"Insecure?" Confused was written all over his face. "Why?"

"I don't know." I refused to meet his gaze.

"Tell me."

"It's stupid."

"Tell me," he repeated a little more firmly.

"That can't have been the best you've ever had," I said in a rush.

For a moment he looked astounded, then suddenly, he started laughing.

"It's not funny!"

"Yes it is." He pulled me against his chest, pinning my arms to my sides. "I was just about to say that it was amazing before you got that silly little look on your face." Looking down at me he asked, "Know why it was amazing?"

I shook my head.

"Because, finally, my mate let me make love to her." He kissed my lips. "Besides, we have all eternity for you to learn to please me. Alright?"

"Alright."

"Now, you look very tired, so sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"What about Harry and Hermione?"

"I'm sure that once you explain to them that you had a rough day, they'll let it slide. Besides, they're old enough to know what goes on behind closed doors."

Giggling, I curled up against his chest.

Right when I was ready to drift off to sleep, Felix said, "_Cara_, stop comparing yourself to my past and for heaven's sake, stop over thinking things!"

I smiled and burrowed deeper into his embrace, my troubles forgotten for the moment.


	52. And So It Begins

**Elizabeth**

I opened my eyes to find the sun streaming through the window and the bed beside me empty.

"Good morning," Felix said as I said up.

Turning, I found him coming out of the bathroom. He was wearing only his pants so the sun caught his skin and threw diamond patterns all across the room. His hair was damp and he was using a towel to dry it.

"Your wards are starting to move around so I thought it would be best if we were ready to meet them."

"Yes, that would be best." Last night, nudity hadn't been a problem, but right at that moment, I wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

"Don't tell me you're shy." A smirk curled his lips and I scowled at him. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with your body. Believe me. After all, I have done a thorough inspection of it."

Throwing a pillow at him, I climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

"I'll be downstairs, in case you're worried I might join you, as tempting as that is," Felix said and I gave him the one finger salute.

The water was soon steaming and as the water flowed, so did my thoughts. Being with Felix had only put what Jasper had said on the back burner and now that I was alone, I couldn't get rid of them.

Was I going to die? I didn't want to consider dying, especially not right when Harry needed me so much. Trying to see the future, it felt like someone had draped a thick fog over it and I was left scrounging around in the dark. This must have been how Alec's victims felt before he dispatched them. A shudder passed through my body and I felt cold clear to my bones. Something was wrong, but what? Never before had I had difficulty seeing. What had changed?

Finally, I could take being alone no longer, so I shut off the water and dried myself off quickly.

After dressing, I ran down to the breakfast room.

Reg, Harry, and Hermione were all enjoying a full English breakfast.

Felix sat with a cup of animal blood virtually untouched in front of him. Normally, that would have made me laugh, but I couldn't even bring myself to crack a smile.

"The elves refused to give me human," Felix said by way of explanation. "They said that it went against Carlisle's orders to serve anything but animal."

"Carlisle is the master of this manor so they will follow his instructions."

"So I gathered." He grimaced as he took a swallow.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I took my seat. "Afraid your colleagues will think you're not able to stand up to me if you go around with golden eyes?"

He smiled a little. "I can always pick something up while I'm in London."

"Try to stick to the criminal element," I sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "It would be a pain in the ass to have to clean up after you if you decided to attack the prime minister because you were feeling thirsty."

"Yes, dear," Felix mocked.

Hoppy arrived with my breakfast, a rare steak, pineapple slices, and blood, but I could barely touch it. I moved my fork around on my place, cutting my food up, but none of it passed my lips.

"Elizabeth," Felix's voice was firm, "eat. You're too thin to skip meals."

"I'm not very hungry."

"I don't care. You're not getting up from this table until you've eaten at least half of your steak and all of your pineapple as well as drained that cup. Unless of course, you want to tell me what's bothering you. I will get it out of you, mark my words."

Slowly, I forced myself to eat everything that was placed in front of me. If I was going to die, I didn't want Felix to know about it. Why was May keeping silent about this? She was supposed to help me. In fact, I'd heard precious little from her since I started seeing Felix.

_Some things are best learned on your own. I can only guide you so much. There will come a time when I can no longer be there for you._

_So what, this is you cutting the apron strings?_

_I am unable to tell you everything, Elizabeth._

_Am I going to die?_

_The future is always in motion._

Closing my eyes, I tried to force the image of the fire from my mind.

"Draco told me that there's something interesting going to happen this year, but his father swore him to secrecy as to what it was exactly," Hermione said, trying to dispel the tension. "Do you know what it is?" She looked at me.

"Severus told me, but I'm sworn to secrecy too." I couldn't help but smile at the look on her face. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. Personally, I don't think it's such a great idea, but Fudge won't change his mind."

"He's probably not listening to you because you embarrassed him so badly at The Three Broomsticks," Harry grinned.

If only he knew exactly what was going to happen, he wouldn't be smiling. The man who murdered his mother and Hermione's father was coming back.

The day came for the children to board the Hogwarts' Express. Felix came along just because it had been centuries since he had been around the magical world and was curious to see how much transportation had changed.

"Harry, Hermione, trust no one but those in your group of friends," I said as I looked them squarely in the eyes. "Things are about to change and not for the better."

"He's coming back, isn't he?" Harry asked.

I nodded. "I'm afraid so, but it is necessary because the only way to destroy him is to let him come back."

"People will die, won't they?" Hermione's voice was said and she and Harry exchanged glances.

"Yes, they will. But I will keep as many from dying as I possibly can."

"It's time for E.C. to ride again," Harry gave a lopsided grin.

"Soon, very soon." I agreed. "Now go and know that I will do whatever I possibly can to keep you safe."

They nodded and joined their friends who were waiting for them.

"Not very modern, are they?" Fwelix muttered as he looked over the train that looked like something from a story book from the 1800s.

"They are very traditional."

"I think you mean completely backwards. I've been around for millennia and I'm more modern than they are."

I smiled up at him then waved to Harry and Hermione as they hung out of the side of the train. There were no smiles on their faces, only looks of worry and concentration. It would take all of them and their friends working together for them to stay alive. I could only pray that they were up to the task.

"And so it begins," I said once even the smoke of the train had disappeared from view. I wrapped my arms around my waist and hugged myself tightly. That chill was everywhere now. Dark Magic was pulsing through the air, making me sick to my stomach.

"You mean that darkness you're so terrified of?" All traces of humor had disappeared from his face and voice.

I looked up at him and nodded. "I'm scared."

He wrapped his arms around me, "I'll protect you."

"What if you can't?" I whispered.

"What are you saying?" he tipped my chin up, his eyes worried. "What is going on?" The worry and fear was so prevalent that I knew he could never be told the truth, not until it was too late to change it, if indeed I was going to die.

"Nothing." I hated lying to him, but I didn't have much of a choice. If he knew what I saw, he might ruin everything trying to stop it and that was something no one could afford to have happen.

"Elizabeth, what's going on?"

"I'm just concerned about Harry and Hermione. They're going up against him and I'm not there to protect them."

"They have to grow up sometime. Don't worry. You trained them so they'll be fine."

"And if they're not? If they die on this mission?"

"Then it's not your fault. You gave them all the tools you possibly could. Now, it's up to them to use them." He looked around then his eyes fell on me. "I think we've got better things to do then talk about such morbid happenings. Don't you agree?"

"Of course." I grinned and Apperated us both to my bedroom.

"Finally," he muttered. "That Reginald fellow and elves aside, we have the whole house to ourselves."

"I like the sound of that. Now shut up and kiss me."


	53. Dragons and Vampires and Lockhart, Oh My

**HERMIONE**

"This is suicide!" I muttered to Draco as we walked over to where the rest of The Troup and Elizabeth were waiting in the grandstands for the first trial of the Tri-Wizard Tournament to begin. "First Cedric puts his name into the cup and then somehow Harry's name comes out too? And this is all after the World Cup!" I exclaimed heatedly as I threw up my hands in the air in frustration.

"I don't know" Draco said as he shook his head in part confusion and part agreement with his mate. His brows pulled together over his pale eyes as he looked at me. "Something is very wrong here." He added solemnly.

The dragons were roaring and icy chills chased each other up and down my spine as I looked over the Quiditch pitch that had been transformed into the base of the first task.

"Have you seen them? Harry and Cedric I mean?" Ginny asked as she sat down next to me.

"I have." I replied as I nodded my head to Ginny.

"How are they?" Ginny asked looking anxiously towards the tent where the competitors were waiting.

"Cedric's nervous but, he knew he was going to be in for when he put his name into the cup, so he is a bit more composed. Harry, on the other hand, is absolutely terrified because he had no idea this was going to happen, nor was he at all ready for this." I said as I tried to keep my fear and apprehension out of my voice.

"Harry will be okay." Elizabeth said, her musical voice thinly disguising the venom of her rage. "Don't worry, I have seen it." She continued as she patted Ginny's arm reassuringly.

Draco shuddered a little because the vampire in Elizabeth was seething just below the surface, barely being contained and just waiting to come out. It was times like this that I was reminded of the monster the woman I considered to be my mother really was.

Cho joined us just then as she made her way over to where we were sitting. "Do you mind if I sit here with you?" Cho asked shyly.

"Make yourself comfortable." Elizabeth said as she waved one of her hands gracefully toward an empty seat next to Ginny. As per usual, Elizabeth had some sort of crazy hair due going on at that moment; a faux hawk that was done in a solid black color with silver streaks running through it.

Draco kept me pinned to his side for quite some time and as far away from Elizabeth as he could get. His knuckles were white as he kept his fists clenched tightly shut. Leaning over I whispered into his ear. "Draco, it's okay. You know that Elizabeth would never hurt me." I said softly and reassuringly as I placed one of my hands onto his arm.

"I can't help it." Draco said as he half hissed towards me, pulling me tighter against his chest. Even though he was overprotective of me at times, well all of the time really, I loved Draco Malfoy with all of my heart and soul.

The sound of a cannon firing close by seemed to signal that it was time for the first champion to come out and we all watched as Cedric made his way out of a tent and onto the field.

After Harry was taken to the medical tent upon the completion of his task, we all ran down to him and Cedric to make sure for ourselves that they were both okay. Upon entering the tent however, Elizabeth looked positively livid and I wondered just who would be the first to face the brunt of her wrath.

"This is madness!" Madam Pomfrey said as she bandaged up one of Harry's arms. "Sending children to perform tasks that most adults would not even do!" She continued to complain furiously as she worked.

"Yeah, well it is not like I asked for this to happen." Harry muttered darkly as he watched Madam Pomfrey bustle about her work.

"How are you feeling?" I asked in concern as I approached his bed. Looking up we saw that Cedric was already up and walking towards us.

Draco still hadn't released my hand through all of this and remained at my side the entire time as his eyes continuously roamed around the room, looking for any threat. The only other time I had seen him like this was when we had gone to see the Volturi and that was mainly because we had arrived shortly before their 'meal' had. Was Elizabeth really that close to losing control that it was affecting him this much?

"Draco, I need to talk to Elizabeth." I said quietly and when I saw that he was about to protest I held up my hand. "I've seen her like this many times before and she has never hurt me. I will be just fine. I promise." I said to Draco with a look that begged him to believe and understand me. With great reluctance, Draco stepped aside and I was able to make my way quickly to where Elizabeth was standing.

"Elizabeth!" I said as I grabbed her arm, causing her to spin around sharply to face me. "What is going on?" I asked worriedly.

"Just when I thought that the Ministry could not fall any lower into the well of stupidity, they pull something like this!" Elizabeth said as she waved her hand in the direction of the roaring dragons. "They make a fourteen year old boy face things that even _I _am terrified of! They could have taken him into some kind of consideration after all, knowing that he did not enter his name into this blasted competition. I mean I am not asking for special treatment or anything, just something that is a bit safer than dragons! But do they think of that? NO. They just had to go and pick the most dangerous of all the land animals around, knowing that there was one person in this god forsaken Tournament who was not even supposed to be eligible to compete." Elizabeth said heatedly as she vented out all of her anger and frustration.

"Is there anything that you can do?" I asked frustratedly. "I mean, can't you break the contract or something sense _he_ didn't enter into it?"

"I don't know." Elizabeth said as she looked down for a moment. "I have to be very careful. If I display too much power, people will start to ask questions that I am not ready to answer. Aro has already been a bit edgy about me living in the Wizarding World as it is." Elizabeth said in a frustrated sigh.

"Is that why Felix isn't here?" I asked her.

Elizabeth looked up at the sky with a smirk on her face and I realized why he hadn't been there. It was a sunny day. "Besides, I don't think that he is to keen on spending time less than one hundred feet away from a bunch of crazed nesting dragons." Elizabeth said as she gave a half smile. "If the next task doesn't involve fire, I believe that he is planning on watching." She continued as she turned and looked me in the eye.

"Elizabeth!"

Both of us groaned as we heard her name being called out and, turning to the sound of the voice, caught sight of Lockhart striding towards us, a huge smile lighting his face.

"Lockhart." Elizabeth said with a snarl.

This was not going to be good.

"I am so glad to see you." Lockhart said with that god awful smile plastered to his face.

"Really?" Elizabeth said as she narrowed her eyes at the man before her.

"Yes! By the way, where is that man that you are always with?" Lockhart asked as he looked around for the man in question.

"He was not able to make it today." Elizabeth said through gritted teeth.

"You know, if my girlfriend's child was competing I would drop everything to be there to support her and her child." Lockhart said as he tried to give Elizabeth a charming smile and began to step closer to her.

"Yes, well some people actually have jobs that they can't walk away from without it causing a disaster." Elizabeth spat out heatedly. "You would not be able to come near me if he was here."

"Who is he anyways?" Lockhart asked as he ignored Elizabeth's last statement.

"He is my boyfriend and soul mate. Oh, he also took my virginity, so you could add him to the list as a lover as well." Elizabeth said before she paused, adopting a devious look onto her face. "No, wait, I stand corrected. He didn't take it as I pretty much forced it on him." She continued with a smirk a mile wide appearing on her face.

I looked away, feeling a little bit awkward hearing Elizabeth talk about her sex life in any way. Though I could tell she was enjoying rubbing it into Lockhart's face.

"Why?" Lockhart asked, seemingly shocked.

"Hermione, why don't you go with your friends, hm? I am sure that you do not want to hear this." Elizabeth said as she gave me a pointed look. Relieved at being able to escape I quickly walked away.

"What is going on?" Draco asked as I walked back over to him and he interlaced our fingers together.

"Elizabeth is telling Lockhart about how she slept with Demetri and I really did not want to hear about it." I said as a small shudder passed down my spine.

Draco chuckled as be began walking back up to the castle.

**Elizabeth**

"Why did I sleep with him?" I asked once we were alone.

"Yes." Lockhart asked me.

"Because I love him and he completes me, _entirely._ Now, leave me alone. I want nothing to do with you. In fact, the thought of being around you makes me sick." With that said I stomped away, extremely furious.

When I reached the shadows, icy hands wrapped themselves around my waist and a cool breath washed over my neck as Felix murmured into my ear. "You would think that that moron would have gotten the hint by now."

Turning around in his arms, I looked up at my mate's perfect face, smiling as I saw him grinning at me.

"What did you do to make him so infatuated with you?" Felix asked as he planted a kiss on the tip of my nose.

"Two years ago I told him 'no'." I said to him with a bit of heat in my voice.

"And that's when he became obsessed with you?" Felix asked with a bit shock and confusion in his voice.

"Yeah. According to Severus, Lockhart spent most of Harry and Hermione's second year fantasizing about what life with me would be like." I said, knowing that it would probably make Felix a little possessive. I was right.

Immediately, Felix pulled me flush against his cool chest with one of his hands in my hair. "Your mine sweetheart." He said, lowering his head to mine as he kissed me, his tongue sliding in between my lips as he explored my mouth. He angled my head so that he could deepen the kiss, giving him the advantage as our tongues dueled.

When he released he said, "I love you," as his fingers trailed down my cheek and a slight smile played across his lips.

"I love you too." I said grinning. "You had better be glad that I can read minds, otherwise I might have thought that Aro had sent you to try and seduce me so that I would join the guard." I said giggling a bit.

"Not going to happen." Felix said as a soft smile played across his mouth. "I formed a connection with you the moment that I first held you in my arms after you were attacked by that werewolf." He continued as he ran one of his hands through my hair.

"I was joking." I said as I tapped one of my fingers on his nose. "Besides, my family would have killed you if that was the case."

"I know." Felix said with a slight chuckle. "Now, let's not talk about whose family members want to kill whom shall we." He continued, taking my hand into one of his as we walked along in the shadows of the Quidditch Pitch. "You looked angry today." He said after a bit of walking in silence.

"Having a fourteen year old boy fighting a dragon could have turned out ugly." I said as my anger had still not cooled entirely over the day's events. "Umbitch should just die." I stated heatedly.

"Or you could have Lockhart marry her." Felix suggested with a smirk.

I looked up at him, the genius of his statement slowly sinking in. "Of course." I said, nodding my head. "Of course, that would be perfect. I hate them both with a passion. Lockhart is after me and that Umbitch is determined to have Lupin. If I have them both marry each other then Lupin's and my problems are solved on both fronts. Why didn't I think of that?" I said, sounding both frustrated and inspired at the idea that Felix had just given me.

"That is what I am here for." Felix said as he planted a kiss on the top of my head.

The grin on my face widened as I began plotting. 'So, maybe I would not need the Three Dirty Boys prank after all.' I thought to myself. After all, the ministry did need to keep a certain level of decorum or else people would begin to lose faith in them. Not that Umbitch wasn't ruining that image without my help, but still.

"How are you going to work this out?" Felix asked me as he took in the expression on my face.

Looking up at Felix I raised one of my eyebrows. "I think that it is time for my nephew to learn just how much fun it is to roll with me. Jazz just might help and Alice as well." I said as a plan began to form in my mind.

"Let me know if I can be of any assistance." Felix whispered into my ear.

"Of course I will." I said as I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Hm." Felix said after a moment.

"What?" I asked, looking up at him with slight confusion.

"I never knew that the Cullens could be so mischievous." Felix said with a slight chuckle.

"Not every vampire has Machiavellian plans of world domination up their sleeves you know. Some of us actually like using our abilities for our own amusement." I said with a devious smile on my face.

"What am I going to do with you?" He asked as he kissed my lips again.

We were coming out into the sun at this point so Felix pulled his hood up and over his head as we walked over to where Harry and Cedric were standing, talking with their friends.

"Boys, I think that a swim, or perhaps a bath may help clear your head and think the clues through." I said, indicated to their eggs as I spoke. "In fact, it will prove most enlightening." I continued with a smirk on my face.

The two boys looked at each other for a moment before looking down at their eggs and then back up to me.

"So you….?" Cedric said as he pointed to his egg.

I nodded my head with a smile. "Good luck. To the both of you."


	54. Lockhart Getting Married?

**Elizabeth**

It was the time between the first trial and the second of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Since I had the time, I was working hard on getting my most important and cleverest scheme yet together. If Lockhart married Umbitch, then maybe he would leave me alone. If not, Jane was always an option.

Now, I was discussing my plan with Jasper and Masen in the library of Wainwright Manor. I was seated in one of the wingback chairs while the men were on the couch, looking at me as I gave them the rundown of my proposal.

"What do you want me to do?" my six foot odd inches nephew looked at me with both black brows raised. It was a little disconcerting to see my sister's features in a boy who looked about our age. But then, I looked the same age as my parents, so I shouldn't have been bothered by it.

"Pretend to be an overeager fan. Jasper will help you out there, making sure you get Lockhart's signature. It's important that it be his actual signature and not a stamp. Or else, this might not work."

Masen nodded.

"Jazz, I assume you know what to do."

Jasper nodded.

"Good. Let's roll."

I was going to the Ministry of magic and slip a piece of paper into the stack on Umbitch's desk. On that paper was a line to sign a bill. What she didn't know was, that line was from a marriage request form that had been fixed onto another sheet of paper with some bogus something or other. When she signed it, I would take it and put the pieces of the shredded marriage request together. Along with Lockhart's signature, this thing should go off without a hitch.

Before walking out into the main halls of the Ministry, I turned my hair into a dirty blond twist and changed my black pants and top for a navy dress suit. My eyes became a muddy brown and some of my facial features changed as well. All in all, I was merely cute by human standards.

Taking a deep breath, I strode quickly to the elevator, my high heeled shoes clicking on the floor as I walked.

No one said anything to me or barely looked at me twice.

When I reached Umbitch's floor, I could hardly contain my glee. This was going to be fun!

Umbitch's door was open so I made the document float into her room and land on her desk. She hadn't even noticed that the document she had been about to sign suddenly changed. Without a second's hesitation, she scrawled her signature.

With a flick of my fingers, she started sneezing and I removed the paper before she realized what had happened.

So far, so good.

**Jasper**

Lockhart was every bit as stupid as Elizabeth had told me. His smile was ridiculous and his emotions were even worse. He was so conceited I had the strange urge to find a mirror. We went to the book signing and Masen was standing in line behind another person, so I had plenty of time to think.

It was wonderful having her back even though she wasn't allowed to live with us. The hole that had been in our lives was now filled and the last almost seventeen years was just a distant memory.

Elizabeth was so different, yet so much like the girl she had been as a child. The darkness was new, but she was still Elizabeth. The darkness had always been there, lurking under the surface, but not like this. She had always been fascinated by my time in the Southern Vampire Wars, by Edward's rebellious years. Now, she was like we had been, killing whenever she wanted, except she had a mission, protecting the humans she considered to be her children.

Her smile was almost sad though, and I wondered just what kind of hell she had seen over the years. Maybe her loneliness had contributed to her pain. She was half human so she needed companionship, unlike a full vampire.

That mischievous streak had only magnified over the years. It had been there when she was a child, but she hadn't really done anything after Irina went to the Volturi because she didn't want to anger other vampires and have us lose allies.

What had really happened in the years following? She told us about how she had killed people, but what had led her to make that choice?

Her haunted eyes as she told us what little we knew about the years apart played themselves across my memory.

It was little surprise that she took up with Felix, much to Edward's chagrin. He was one of the few people who wouldn't want her to be anything other than herself. On some level, he understood her and knew that trying to change her would destroy her. I half expected it, at least on Felix's part, after he found her being attacked by a werewolf…

Okay, break time's over. Masen was up. Using my talent, it was only a little bit of work to convince Lockhart that he didn't have any time to sign anything other than his name. I was worried that if he wrote anything more, it would mess up Elizabeth's plan.

Perfect.

Masen walked over to me, a wide smile, so much like his father's, on his face.

"We ready?" he asked as he held out the fragment of paper. Lockhart's name was scrawled across it.

"Yes." Without farther ado, we left the store. I pulled my hat low over my face and the collar of my jacket up around my neck to keep the sunlight off of me. Elizabeth had the sunless job while I had to be careful not to light up like the Times Square Christmas tree, but we couldn't trade because I really didn't want to go into the Ministry of Magic.

I smirked. Lockhart had just signed his 'fantastic future life with Elizabeth' away. I wanted to be there when he found out that he was marrying Umbitch. I would just have Elizabeth keep track of it and then show me later. That would be the greatest home movie ever.

**Elizabeth**

I bounced on the balls of my feet as I waited for my uncle and nephew. Immediately upon leaving Umbitch's office, I had changed back to my normal garb. After several seconds, I caught my uncle's sweet scent and my nephew's woodsier smell being carried on the breeze. They were very close.

A few minutes later, I saw them moving through the crowds. I could barely hold still, especially when I caught the drift of their thoughts. They'd done it! A smile trembled at the corner of my mouth as I fought to hold back my glee.

"Careful, Elizabeth, with the emotions coming from you, I might start dancing on my head," Jasper said as he came closer.

"We can't have that now, can we? Though I think it would be quite amusing." I laughed. "Let's get this home and the plan in motion."

"I thought it was already in motion," Mason said with a cheeky grin.

"That was just the preliminary work. Now, is time for the main event." This time I didn't hold back the wicked grin now gracing my face.

Once back at Wainwright, I pieced the request together. I was tempted to wait until the last possible moment to have Lockhart and Umbitch alerted to the fact that they had to get married, but decided against it. If these two idiots were the kind of people I thought they were, they might drag this into the public and that would make for a good laugh.

Handing the document and a lighter to Masen, I said, "Light it." I wanted to be sure that it wasn't just me keeping it from burning.

"Why?" Masen looked at me and the expression on his face told me he thought I'd lost my mind. "We went through all of that trouble just to set this on fire?"

"If this is real, it won't burn. If it does, then we have to come up with another plan." I leaned back and watched Mason flick the lighter on.

Hesitantly, he held the paper up to the fire. Nothing happened. It was real. This plan was going to work.

"How are you going to make them believe it?" Jasper asked.

"A hangover and some very vague memories," I replied as I watched the flame lick at the undamaged paper. I smirked again as I rubbed my hands together evil villain style. I held out my hand and caught the parchment in it. With a wave of my fingers, it disappeared.

_Now, Lockhart, come and get me_, I snickered.

Jasper glanced at me, wondering what was going on in my head. But he could sense my emotions enough to make a guess as to what I was thinking.

"What about the memories?" Jasper asked.

"It was taken care of the moment that parchment left my hand. Now, let the games begin."

**Umbitch**

"What do you mean I have to get married within the next thirty days to Gilderoy Lockhart?" I shrieked. What had happened the night before? I couldn't remember clearly. I'd gone to dinner with Lockhart to discuss our plans… and then it all got fuzzy.

"The request was filed last night. Ah, Mr. Lockhart, just the person I wanted to see." The document manager, I didn't know his name because his possession wasn't absolutely necessary and he was therefore completely unimportant, motioned Gilderoy into the room.

"What, may I ask has made it necessary for me to come down here when I have many important things to do?" We had come up with a course of action and he was getting ready to start on his. But now, all that planning would be for nothing it seemed. First Lucius and now Remus slipped through my fingers.

"You and Miss Umbridge have to marry within the next thirty days or face stiff punishments."

"Are you sure it's Umbridge and not Masen?" Gilderoy was obviously as I was about this. We were both in love with other people.

"I'm sure. You both signed them yourselves. I've tested them and had several other people test them. They're authentic. You signed this parchment."

"There's no way out?" Gilderoy slumped into his seat.

"I'm afraid not. Neither of you were under any curse, though it seems you may have been impaired if you don't remember it very clearly." The manager chuckled.

I wanted to fire him. But this man laughing at me for getting a marriage request filed while drunk was not something I wanted to have getting out.

We were sitting in my office, trying to figure out what to do next.

"We could go to Rita Skeeter and if we get enough of a sympathy cause going, we might be able to get the law amended," Gilderoy said. But I could see that he wasn't too sure about that. "We've just put so much effort into this to have it blow up in our faces at the last minute."

"I know." Remus_. Remus. Remus. My love, it seems that the Fates are conspiring against us and that we may never be together. You are caught up in your metamorphemagus whore and I have to marry someone else._

"I suppose there's only one thing to do," Gilderoy said.

"What's that?"

"Pretend that this was what we had in mind all along. If we do that, it will be far less humiliating. After two years, we can get a divorce and go our separate ways."

I nodded in agreement. This was the best way to save face. Besides, with me marrying a man as well-known and liked as Gilderoy could have its perks. Remus would see me in a different light and forget about the young woman who had stolen him from me.

The next day, the headlines for _The Daily Prophet_ read **Lockhart Getting Married? **I didn't even bother to buy a paper that day.

a paper that day.


	55. Final Challenge

**Elizabeth**

"I don't like you, Skeeter, and I like your writing even less." I was seated across from the obnoxious blonde reporter for _The Daily Prophet_. "But, there is something you can do for me." I placed a bag of galleons on her desk.

She opened up the bag, the light reflecting off of the gold shone on her face. She looked up at me. "What would you like me to do?"

"You will not write any lies about Harry, exaggerate anything at all. In fact, push any articles about the Tri-Wizard Tournament towards the middle of the paper. Instead, I want you to focus as much attention as you can get by with on Lockhart and Umbridge's marriage. Find all the scandal you can and plaster it all over the paper." I placed a folder on the desk. All of their dirty little secrets, including those I had created were inside. "You will do well to forget your source for this." I stood up and walked away.

I folded _The Daily Prophet_ up with supreme satisfaction. My little plan had gone exceptionally smoothly and both Remus's and my problems were married to each other to try to divert everyone's attention away from their less than stellar moments. That didn't mean they wouldn't still be a nuisance, but they couldn't be so vocal about it now that they were married. That would cause scandal and anymore scandal would be career ruining.

"You seem awfully pleased about something," Regulus remarked as he looked at me over his morning coffee.

"Oh, but I am. Supremely." I grinned. "It seems that my uncle and my nephew make wonderful partners in crime."

"And your boyfriend comes into that equation how?" Felix came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His breath was cool on my hair as he spoke.

"He keeps me out of trouble with the Volturi." I looked up at him and he kissed my lips.

"Nice to know I'm useful for something."

I laughed. "No, I keep you around because I like you." I rubbed his arm.

**The Day of the Final Challenge**

Felix sat down beside me in the stands.

"You're nervous," he breathed.

"Something is going to happen tonight, something terrible and I don't know if I can stop it." I looked up at him.

"You're strong, Elizabeth. I have every faith in you." His arm wrapped around me and he pulled me against his freezing body. "If you can't stop it, know that you did everything you could to prevent whatever it is that you've been seeing."

"I know you're trying to make me feel better, but don't. I need to focus on this and you're making it very difficult to concentrate."

"Shall I leave?" Felix smirked, knowing full well that I would never send him away, especially when I was in as much a panic as I was in.

"No. I want you to stay," I said softly.

Cedric and Harry entered the maze at the same time and I closed my eyes, keeping a close watch on both of them. There was a band playing and people moving around as they all waited for the outcome of the challenge.

Why they didn't have some sort of viewing bubble or what have you, was beyond me. If they wanted to have this stupid Tournament, they could at least watch the results of their genius.

Both Cedric and Harry worked together whenever they met up to get through the maze.

As I continued to watch, I became increasingly aware of the sinister forces seething through the air. The maze was a trap. Harry was the target and there was nothing I could do about it.

"We'll take it together," Harry said. The moment both boys touched the goblet, they were taken to Tom Riddle's muggle father's home.

It was all I could do not to scream when they were taken away. But I could do nothing, make no sound, without giving myself away. No one could know that I could see things that no one else could see.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The words resonated in my soul and I went numb. Cedric was dead. The clever young wizard was gone and it was my fault. He was the one I had seen dying when the Dark Lord returned. Why had I done nothing? Why hadn't I lain it wait for the bastard?

Oh, right. We still didn't know where all the Horcruxes were. If I showed my hand too soon, even more people would die and that wasn't allowable.

I wrapped my arms around my middle and, pulling my feet up onto the seat, buried my face in my knees.

"What's wrong?" Felix mouth was right on my ear.

"Cedric is dead," I replied just as quietly. "The Dark Lord had him killed. Pettigrew did it."

Felix said nothing. He knew how I felt about The Troup and that a loss of them would devastate me, especially if they were cut down too early.

Finally he spoke. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. I'm so sorry." He never really gave me a nickname. I was always Elizabeth to him unless he was teasing me.

"I failed them. I promised them I would take care of them and he's dead."

Felix tucked my head under his chin and held me. I took strength from him, immersing myself into his feelings as I forced myself to watch Harry. If things got too bad, I was going to get him out of there, consequences be damned.

_Easy. Your time will come. For now, patience._

Sometimes, I really hated Didyme. She made me wait when I wanted to act and she made me act when I thought I should have acted a long time before.

Finally the wrecked ceremony was over and Harry arrived with Cedric's body.

People started cheering as they saw the tied victors. I jumped over the edge of the bleachers and ran as fast as I could without drawing attention to myself to them.

"He's dead!" Harry cried. "He's dead!"

"I know, Harry." I pulled him off as best I could. "I know."

_Now, you can act._

_What can I do? The boy is already gone!_ I screamed in my head. _This is your fault! If you had let me do what I wanted, none of this would have happened!_

_Calm yourself, young one. There is still something you can do._

_Oh, yeah? What? It's not like I can raise the dead._

There was silence from May.

_You mean, I can?_ I was incredulous. No witch or wizard had ever been able to raise the dead successfully.

_You are not all powerful, but you have power that no one else has, that no one understands. You cannot bring back everyone, but there are those you can. You will learn to tell the difference between those you can allow to live again and those you can't help. Now use that to undo what was done._

I closed my eyes and placed my hands on Cedric's chest. By this point everyone realized that something had happened and people were screaming.

"Come back," I whispered. "Cedric, come back. You must come back." Power pulsed through the air, making it crackle.

There was a stutter in Cedric's chest and he suddenly sat up, gasping for breath.

"Welcome back."

"I'm alive?" he whispered, shocked.

"Tell no one you died. As far as anyone was concerned you were hit with a nasty curse and I removed it. You understand?" I looked at him, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. "Cedric, you must understand."

"I understand." He nodded. "If people knew what you can do…"

I finished for him, "It could mean the end of the world as we know it." I took his hand and helped him to his feet. "Now, tell them that he has returned."

Cedric put his wand to his throat, amplifying his voice. "Everyone! Lord Voldemort has returned! I saw him myself. He was the one who cursed me!"

I looked at Harry, and spoke silently. _Tell no one that Cedric was dead. No one can know that it was the killing curse that was used. As far as anyone is concerned, it was simply a very nasty stunner that would lock him away in his head for the rest of his life. Understand?_

Harry nodded once very slowly.

'Professor Moody' decided to make his escape in the pandemonium caused by Cedric's statement and I followed him.

"Hello, Moody." I cocked my head to one side as I looked the man over. We were in his office and he was rummaging around for something. I stood in the doorway watching him, mildly amused. "Looking for this?" I held up his last bottle of Polyjuice potion. "Now, if I drink this, I wonder who I will turn into, _professor_."

"Give that to me!" Moody made a grab for it, but I danced out of the way.

"I don't think so. I think I will wait for your current dose to wear off and then I'll bring you to the Demetors. I hear they are longing to see you." I smirked at the horrified look on Barty's face. "Perhaps they miss you so much that they will kiss you."

"No! Please! Give me the bottle!" He grabbed out his wand and shot a curse at me.

I blocked it easily enough. "Tsk, tsk tsk. You are going to have to do better than that, Barty. After all, you are fighting for your life."

By this point Severus, Dumbledore, and several others had arrived and Barty was turning into himself.

Severus pinned Barty against the nearest wall, his wand at the other man's throat.

"Dear oh dear, Barty. I fear you have made a powerful enemy of Severus Snape." I sashayed out of the room, allowing the wizards to do their thing.

"That boy was dead," Felix murmured as he came up behind me.

"So he was, but he's not any longer." I looked at Felix. "That was something I only figured out tonight and I can only bring back those I'm allowed to. There are restrictions on even the most powerful of beings."

"So there are." He wrapped his arm around me, his expression bemused.

"If I could bring back Didyme, I would, but I can't."


	56. The End

**AN: I know it's been a long time since I updated, but my life went crazy. For those of you who have read my story before being edited will notice the change in pairings. Yes, I have gotten on a different path and it seems to be working much better. I'm not sure how often I can update, but I will try to finish this by the end of the year.**

**Elizabeth**

Now that Voldemort was back, I had no reason to slow down. One by one, the Horcruxes were collected and now the only ones that remained were the snake and Harry. If Voldemort knew what I was doing, he gave no indication of it.

E.C. hunted with a vengeance and I was in the papers almost as much as Voldemort, though most people believed that I was the one doing all of the killings because so few people believed that the Dark Lord was truly back.

Before anyone was ready for it, it was time to go back to school. This time, I was terrified of sending my young charges because Umbitch was teaching and she knew nothing.

Felix was gone most of the time because someone was creating new vampires, but no one seemed to know who. I couldn't even see who was doing it, so either I had blind spots in my vision or someone was able to keep me from seeing them.

So, Regulus and I were often on our own, but even we barely spent any time together because we were both locked in our own affairs.

There was only one way for the Horcrux in Harry to be destroyed: have Voldemort kill him. Seeing as how I could bring back the dead, there was a chance that I would be able to save Harry.

Please let this work.

_Elizabeth. Umbitch made Harry and Cedric write with blood quills._

It was Hermione.

_That's against the law!_ I was furious. _How dare she?_

_She said it was because they were telling lies about Voldemort coming back._

_Well, he is back, that stupid bitch._

I had too much to think about making a plan of revenge. As much as I wanted to, I had to let this slide. Harry and Cedric were going to have to deal with this until I could find time to humiliate Umbitch even farther. Once Voldemort was dealt with, I would come up with something.

Things were moving much faster than they were originally supposed to because I was destroying everything much faster than it was going to be done originally.

It was towards the end of the year when I got a vision. Voldemort was attacking Harry, tricking him into going to the Ministry of Magic. I knew that this would be my chance to end the war once and for all. The only thing I was worried about was how many people would be permanently lost beyond the veil. It wasn't as though death was something to be afraid of, it's just that it would be taking my friends away from me sooner or later and I would rather it be later.

It was the middle of the afternoon not long after this that I knew it was time to act. Nagini was completely unprotected at the moment, at least from me.

_Come here, foul one_. I said as I approached the snake. _I want to kill you._

_My master will kill you for this._

_He will try._

Pulling out my dagger, I threw it. The blade pierced her head, killing the snake instantly.

Now, all that was left was Harry. This would be a bit cruel, but as long as Harry never found out that I planned his death, all would be well. I took a deep breath through my nose, and Apperated to the Hall of Prophecy. Harry and the Troop were already there from their newest member, Luna Lovegood, all the way to Cedric. They seemed a little shocked to see me.

"Harry, put that down. They need you to get the prophecy. Without you, they cannot touch it. Leave while you still can. Voldemort has been playing with your mind. Nothing bad will happen if you leave now. As it is, people you care about will die." Though I was planning on having Harry die, now was not the time.

With that, I guided the children to the center of the Ministry to get them to the fire places.

Voldemort was there, with a handsome young man. The young man's future was nonexistent. So this was the blocker. There was something else about him and as I studied him, I realized what it was. He was also a hybrid, like me, but one I'd never seen before.

"Well, well. Look what we have here?" I mocked. "What do you get for following a snake? A belly full of dirt?"

"You killed my father!" the hybrid shouted.

"I've killed a lot of people's fathers, boy. What is so different about yours?" The moment I realized that this boy was able to block me, the shadows engulfing him were removed.

"Vladimir."

"That freak? He destroyed my life!" I shouted. "I would be nothing like I am now if it wasn't for the Romanians. Your father deserved more than what he got. I gave him a relatively easy death compared to what he would have gotten had it been the Volturi who killed him."

"You would know. You've been fucking a member of the Guard." The moment the words were out of his mouth, he leaped at me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Voldemort attack Harry. So this was their plan: separate me from Harry so he would be an open target. Too bad they underestimated me.

Practicing with Felix had given me the advantage I needed to win. This boy had no idea how to fight a vampire. He fought like a newborn. He lunged and I danced out of the way. Behind me, I could hear the duel between Harry and Voldemort. Harry was skilled from the years I had spent teaching him, but how long would he last against the Dark Lord?

It took only a few minutes, but the boy was soon at my feet, burning. His blood sizzled as it came in contact with the fire.

As I turned, a jet of green light shot at Harry and he crumpled. The rest of the Troop shouted in denial as they watched their friend die.

With a snarl of rage I leapt at Voldemort and hissed in Parseltongue in his ear, "All the pain you caused or happened because of you, may you feel it as you die."

The Dark Lord screamed in agony. Several men arrived by floo, among them Fudge, Lockhart, and Dumbledore. They spoke, but I had no time for them. Harry was dead and I needed to see to him.

Once I was sure that Voldemort was dying, I raced to Harry's side and placed my hand on his forehead.

Almost immediately, I was drawn into Nirvana.

"Hello, Elizabeth."

I looked at Didyme.

"I told Harry what you did."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I had to." Just what I had not wanted to happen, but it was probably for the better that it came out sooner rather than later. Secrets had the potential to ruin relationships, especially one like this. 'Oh, yes, I planned to get you kill.' That would go over well.

"I know." Harry nodded. "You did what had to be done to kill him."

"I just wish it didn't mean you had to die."

"I know. You wouldn't have taken care of me if you did."

"I saw no other way. I'm so sorry." There was no way to express my guilt over what I'd had to do.

Didyme cut in. "Now it is time for what I've been looking forward to for fifteen hundred years, returning to Earth." She gave me an encouraging nod. "You know what to do."

Everyone, including Lily, James, even Bree Tanner, a girl who'd died for what she'd unwittingly done in Seattle accompanied me. Almost every witch, wizard, or magical creature that had died because of Voldemort was brought back.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing surrounded by people, both living and those who had been dead. People shouted and cheered. Someone brought butterbeer and things to eat so a party broke out in the Ministry of Magic.

Throughout the impromptu celebration, Lockhart kept trying to get closer to me, but I managed to evade him.

Several members of the Volturi Guard, Felix and Alec included, arrived. Felix quickly made his way to my side.

"Who is that woman?" he whispered against my temple.

"Which one?"

"The one who looks exactly like Didyme, who is she?"

"That is Didyme." I grinned at Felix.

"Very cute. Now, who is she really?"

"I told you."

As I spoke, Didyme slapped her brother across the face and then helped him up as she told him she forgave him, just as she said she would. Aro would have to stay on his toes now that his sister was back from the grave.

I looked around and found Severus with his arms around Lily. Harry was standing off to the side with a smile on his face. He would have his true family, the one Voldemort had tried to steal from him.

I smiled and closed my eyes. That bit of magic left me drained beyond belief and I wanted nothing more than to sleep. The lively chatter did nothing to keep me awake and soon I was fast asleep once more.


End file.
